Bay Ridge

Kingsborough offers Aging Mastery Program for seniors

Lessons on nutrition, financial planning part of curriculum

March 21, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Susan Lavin, director of the Aging Mastery Program at Kingsborough Community College, says the classes will instruct seniors on everything from the best way to prevent falls to how to enjoy healthy relationships. Eagle photo by Paula Katinas
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Brooklyn senior citizens are getting an exciting chance to take a specialized course at Kingsborough Community College this spring, thanks to a new program the college will offer to teach adults the best ways to navigate their older years and remain healthy and financially solvent.

At a press conference Tuesday morning at the Bay Ridge Center, a senior citizens center, Susan Lavin, director of My Turn, an educational program for older adults at Kingsborough, announced that the community college has teamed up with the National Council on Aging to develop the Aging Mastery Program, a 10-week course designed to help older adults live a good quality of life.

The course, which begins on April 25, will be taught at two locations in Brooklyn: Kingsborough Community College at 2001 Oriental Blvd. in Manhattan Beach; and at the Bay Ridge Center at 6935 Fourth Ave. in Bay Ridge. The course is open to adults aged 50 and above.

“It’s a wonderful program that we think you will enjoy,” Lavin told senior citizens at the center.

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Students who complete the curriculum will earn certificates, Lavin said. “It will be great for them because it can give them a feeling of accomplishment,” she told the Brooklyn Eagle after the press conference.

Students must attend at least seven of the 10 classes in order to graduate and earn the certificates.

Lavin, who has dedicated much of her professional life to working with senior citizens, said the new program is valuable because it will provide older adults with up-to-date, cutting-edge information.

The Aging Mastery Program is designed to give senior citizens the tools they need to live a good quality of life, according to Todd Fliedner, director of outreach and development at the Bay Ridge Center. The lessons will include fall prevention, proper nutrition, improving the quality of sleep, healthy relationships, exercise, medication management and financial planning.

Students will be provided with educational materials written by experts, along with a checklist of steps to take to ensure that the lessons take hold and a system that will allow the senior citizens to track their behavior and results.

The classes at Kingsborough Community College will take place twice a week, every Tuesday and Thursday, starting April 25, from 10:20 a.m. to noon.

At the Bay Ridge Center, the classes will be held once a week, starting April 25. The lessons will take place every Tuesday evening, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., until June 27.

Fliedner said that Bay Ridge Center officials are happy that there will be evening sessions because the center had already been looking for a way to provide evening programs for seniors.

William Marco, a certified wealth strategist, will be the instructor for the financial planning section of the course. Marco, who has taught courses on personal finances before, said he is looking forward to the new program. “I get more out of it than the seniors,” he said.

Investors Bank is helping to underwrite the program. Regina Scire, the bank’s market manager, presented Bay Ridge Center Executive Director Marianne Nicolosi with a $1,000 check at the press conference.

Registration for the Aging Mastery Program will begin on March 27. Seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. To register, call 718-368-5050. The tuition is $80.

For more information on the program, call Susan Lavin at 718-368-5079.

 


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