The residents of Long Creek Assisted Living and Memory Care in Mesquite have gone back to school! The men and women who live at Long Creek now have the opportunity to participate in a brand new program offering online and inperson college courses.
Dee Rias, the Activities Director at Long Creek, says her motto is, “Never give up on yourself!” Through these course offerings, she is making sure the residents there have a chance put that motto into practice as they continue to expand their knowledge.
What began as a comment from a resident who shared with her that he wished he could go back to school quickly became something bigger. This initial conversation and the research that followed led Ms. Rias to the idea of offering college courses onsite for the residents. Everyone at Long Creek has been extremely supportive of the idea, as they have gone out of their way to make sure the new students have all the tools they need to be successful – from computer access to paper and pens.
This semester’s participating group is learning American Sign Language together, led by Ms. Rias. ASL was chosen for its benefits in assisting seniors in communicating and advocating for themselves as hearing and speaking abilities so often decline with aging. Additionally, Ms. Rias is teaching a course entitled “Facebook for Beginners”, in which students will learn the basics of creating and customizing a profile as well as how to navigate the social media site. Other courses available online during this semester are Environmental Science, The Science of Happiness, and Libertarian Free Will: Neuroscientific and Philosophical Evidence. Through the Live & Learn program at Long Creek, all of these courses are available at no cost to the residents.
Most of the courses are self-paced and will take about four to 12 weeks, depending on how quickly each student works. The first set of classes began at the beginning of October and is expected to wrap up by the end of the year. The completion of these courses will be commemorated in a proper graduation ceremony. Ms. Rias is excited to learn alongside the residents and encourage them as the continue the lifelong journey of learning.
In a quote often attributed to Henry Ford, it is said that “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” Thanks in part to the efforts of their dedicated activities director, the residents at Long Creek are working to keep their minds young by continuing to learn!
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