Fair shows it’s never too late to learn

Saturday, Sept. 3, 2005 | 3:04 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

September 3-5, 2005

UNLV officials say you're never too old to learn.

Projecting that as many as 1,000 older, retired or semi-retired people will take classes this fall in a number of programs designed for older Southern Nevadans, UNLV will hold its first Senior Lifelong Learning Fair Saturday.

The event is 10 a.m. to noon at UNLV's Paradise Campus at 851 E. Tropicana Ave.

"We get a lot of people who relocate here from across the country," said Lori Slinn, coordinator of Programs for Older Students at UNLV. "The programs we offer allow them to meet new people, make friends their own age and keep them active.

"We want to make people aware of what we have to offer."

The fair, sponsored by UNLV's Division of Educational Outreach, will be financed by a grant from The Bernard Osher Foundation. It is intended to broaden local participation in senior programs.

Among the courses offered are UNLV's 15-year-old Senior Lifelong Learning Program that seniors join for a $45 per semester fee, allowing them to participate in about two dozen study groups on various subjects including music, history and literature.

Another program, Slinn said, is Academic 62-Plus that allows those age 62 or older who have lived in Las Vegas at least one year to take regular classes at UNLV for student fees -- about $15 a class -- but without paying tuition fees.

Slinn said the Lifelong Learning program, which is open to anyone who is retired or semi-retired with no minimum age requirement, draws about 350 students per semester while Academic 62-Plus has between 600 and 700 students.

While some of the programs put seniors in the same classes as the younger students, some classes are earmarked for older people, such as a dance department class designed specifically for seniors, Slinn said.

Among the classes most popular with seniors in recent years have been dance, theater, writing and physical education. During the previous semester, languages were popular, especially Spanish, Hebrew and Greek, Slinn said.

UNLV organizations scheduled to take part in the fair include Senior Theatre, Athletics, Gerontology and Educational Outreach.

Nonprofit and governmental agencies scheduled to participate include the Equal Opportunity Board Adult Services, Clark County Social Services and the American Association of Retired People.

Also signed up for informational exhibits are Helping Hands of Vegas Valley, the Regional Transportation Commission, the Blind Center of Nevada, Accessible Space, HELP of Southern Nevada, Sierra Health Services, H2U at Sunrise Hospital, the Nevada Division for Aging Services and Nathan Adelson Hospice.

Other scheduled participants include SHIP Medicare counseling, the Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs, Secure Horizons, Give Me A Break, the Nevada Welfare Division, the Arthritis Foundation and the Southwest Medical Geriatrics Department.

There also will be refreshments, prizes, entertainment and a live remote broadcast by KJUL 104.3 FM, Slinn said.