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The Practical Concerns of Older Americans

OLLI series offers advice on issues facing senior citizens

Learners
in the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Duke (OLLI) turn their attention to
practical matters this week as the Conscious Aging Series begins its third year
of lunchtime offerings. The free public, lecture series addresses issues older
Americans face.

This
year's talks, which are held on 10 Wednesdays through March at the Judea Reform
Education Building, 1933 W. Cornwallis Road, cover topics as diverse as picking
a pet to discovering the pleasures of little theater in the Triangle area.

"People
like the variety of subjects," says Rita Weimer, an OLLI member who chairs
the series organizing committee. "We work hard to find knowledgeable
speakers to share information on a wide variety of subjects."

A talk
on March 7, titled "Selling on the Internet," will offer tips on how
to turn unwanted household items into extra cash on eBay or Craig's List. "Many
people who get to be the age of OLLI members are looking to downsize,"
says Weimer, a former college administrator who helped OLLI start a hands-on
computer program.

Weimer
says there's time built into each program for questions, either shared with the
group or one-on-one with the speaker at the end. She says she frequently hears
from participants who found the programs to be useful: one couple who attended a
lecture on the Medicare Drug Plan reported saving more than $200 a month with
what they learned.

Here's
the full schedule:

Jan. 18 -- Pets for Older Adults, Sharon Ashe and Clare Reece-Glore, Animal Protection
Society of Durham

Jan. 25 -- Humanities Programming: Expand Your Knowledge and Engage in Conversation,
Joanne Abel and Lynn Richardson, Durham County Public Library

Feb. 1 -- Durham's Scrap Exchange -- Promoting Creative Re-use of Industrial Discards

Feb. 8 -- The Aging Eye, Dr. Banks Anderson, retired Duke Medical Center physician

Feb. 15 -- Little Theaters in the Triangle, David Felleroth, culture and sports editor
of the Independent Weekly

Feb. 29 -- Who Am I Now? Finding Your Way Through a New World of Retirement, OLLI member
and mental health counselor Juanita Johnson

March 7 -- Selling on the Internet, OLLI member Jo Ann Levo

March 14 -- Gardening in Small Spaces, Michele Wallace, Durham County Agriculture
Extension Service

March 21 -- New Options in Long-Term Care Insurance, Barry Mowbray, Seniors' Health
Insurance Information Program (SHIIP)

March 28 -- Voluntarily Stopping Eating and Drinking: An End-of-Life Options, OLLI members
Susan Schaffer and Dr. Elliot Schaffer

All of
the talks will be held from 12:45 to 2 p.m. in the Commons Room at JDC.