Variety of programs help keep seniors’ interest engaged as they age

Friday, Jan. 21, 2005 | 5:54 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

January 22 - 23, 2005

Longtime Las Vegas resident Marie Daly McMillan defies her age.

An internationally known aviator who made a habit of breaking world records and the widow of late West Las Vegas civil rights activist James McMillan, she has already lived a life that would cause most people to marvel.

But at 78, she's still living life to the fullest, and like many Las Vegas seniors attending UNLV's healthy aging conference recently, she refuses to grow old.

It was fear of aging that led her to continue her coursework at UNLV after earning a bachelor's degree in anthropology in 1994. After several years of "hard work," McMillan received her certificate in gerontology.

"It keeps your mind and your brain active so you won't get old and need a gerontologist," McMillan said.

Scores of seniors similar to McMillan come through UNLV every year. The university is doing more and more to reach out to one of the Las Vegas Valley's fastest-growing populations with an array of fine arts programs, senior-geared continuing education classes and public seminars, Ann McDonough, director of UNLV's gerontology program, said.

Gerontology, or the study of aging, is becoming a hot topic in the valley as more and more seniors flock to the area and as the Baby Boomer generation comes closer to retirement age, McDonough said. Southern Nevada's climate, lack of state income tax and vibrant adult living communities are what McDonough thinks make the area one of the top destinations in the country for retirees.

The available careers in the field of aging are limited only by one's imagination, she said, and UNLV offers both a certificate program and a bachelor's degree in the subject from a variety of disciplines.

Per university system policy, Nevada residents age 62 and older receive free tuition on all courses. Students must pay for the cost of books and other fees.

The Jan. 12 conference brought in experts from both the university and the community to share the latest research on aging from their fields, McDonough said. The free conference filled up in advance, attracting more than 100 seniors and community members who provide aging services.

"We've hit a real nerve," McDonough said. "It's our hope to show what seniors can become if they pursue a dynamic, active lifestyle instead of falling into the rocking-chair syndrome, which is easy for everyone to do."

Seminars included sessions on the psychology of aging, the effect of daily exercise on aging, pain management and how to stay healthy while traveling, as well as an overview of UNLV's programs and on the needs of Clark County's senior population.

Seniors age 65 and older are the fastest-growing population in Clark County, according to 2004 estimates from the state demographer's office. The number of seniors grew at a rate of 4.5 percent between 2003 and 2004; the growth rate for the entire county and the state was about 4.1 percent.

There are about 183,000 people older than 65 in the county, representing about 11 percent of the total population, according to the state demographer's office. But that number jumps when one includes retirement-aged residents age 55 to 64, bringing the total senior population to more than 350,900 people, or 20 percent of the total population in the county.

UNLV's gerontology program began in 1990 when McDonough founded the senior adult theater program. Seniors take for-credit classes in all aspects of the theater, from acting and directing to running things backstage, McDonough said.

Many of the seniors involved also volunteer their time to perform scenes and monologues for area community centers and nursing homes, and several go on to earn the gerontology certificates.

Starting this past fall semester, the College of Fine Arts added a senior dance class and is working on developing a senior band, McDonough said.

The fine arts program allows seniors to express themselves and interact with others who share similar interests, said McDonough and Douglas Hill, associate director of the senior theater program. Many seniors in Las Vegas operate without any support groups and often may suffer from depression and loneliness, they said.

"Theater as a form of expression is good therapeutically at any age," Hill said.

The social aspect and the chance to be hams are what drew Helen Bagne, 73, of Las Vegas, and Barb Morris, 70, of Boulder City, into the program. The theater company has become an extended family to them, said the two women, who both performed monologues at the Jan. 12 conference.

Like McMillan, they, too, defy their age.

"I like to think I'm 20 still," said Bagne, who performed a monologue on being an original "biker babe."

Fellow senior theater and dance performer Raeleta Newman, 70, of Henderson, said that attitude is everything.

"Age has nothing to do with it," said Newman, who earned her gerontology certificate last year. "You can pretty much do what you think you can.

"It's never too late to do what you want to do, and UNLV makes it possible."