Workshops Many people hold the belief that retirement automatically causes reduction of individuals' contributions to Canada's social and financial economy. However, according to the B.C. Government, in 2004, seniors spent more time volunteering annually than any other age group in the province - over 44 million hours, at an average of 247 hours per year. This will likely increase as Boomers enter retirement.

Retirement

Retirement:It's Not Just About the Money workshop is designed to explore attitudes and feelings toward retirement. They vary. On one side individuals feel like developing new goals, interests and activities. On the other end, a person may experience stress, physical deterioration and depression. The workshop provides a space for participants to discuss strategies for adjustment to new forms of social involvement and ways to assertively negotiate new or altered relationships, serving both their own and their community's changing needs.

Wisdom Workshop Often, it is assumed that wisdom becomes a natural consequence of aging and education. However, wisdom is not the same as intelligence, according to the Max Planck Institute. A person may know a great deal about physics but be unable to maintain personal relationships or social interest. We have opportunities, as we age, to improve the ways we manage our lives, make plans for the future, and think about things we have done in the past. The Wisdom Workshop is about social interest and community. Participants in small groups: Explore and discuss wisdom scenarios in which imaginary individuals are called upon to make central decisions about their lives. Reflect on their own lives regarding past, present and future decisions

Memory Workshop It is assumed that memory loss is a natural consequence of aging and that there is nothing we can do about it. Do you: Forget appointments? Get tired of looking for your car keys or where you put your glasses Forget the name of someone you’ve just met, Forget to get the item you actually went to the store to get? This workshop will help participants understand the different kinds of memory processes. For example, we may forget where we parked the car, but not how to drive. We may forget names, in part because of the way we take the information in, but we seldom forget someone’s face. Anxiety and sleep disturbances are major factors in memory storage. There is wide variability of memory retention among older people Participants in small groups: Explore and discuss memory experiences, memory stereotypes such as “Senior’s Moments” Strategies for strengthening memory.

Larry presenting Ageism research at the International Sociological Association conference in Barcelona