The New York Times published an article about how surfing the Internet boosts aging brains in its October 16, 2008, edition.

In that article, Dr. Gary Small, director of UCLA’s Memory and Aging Research Center said that “a simple everyday task like searching the web appears to enhance brain circuitry in older adults, demonstrating that our brains are sensitive and can continue to learn as we grow older.”

When we visit a senior living community and introduce LINK, our online community product, many depositors and residents are familiar with the web, but quite a few are hungry for Internet training. Even if seniors consider themselves to be savvy users, they have questions on how to do certain things or want ideas on where they can find specific information and/or tools on the web.

If you aren’t already, consider offering weekly Internet sessions as part of the established activity calendar at your senior living community. Feature new topics on a weekly basis like how to upload photos, where to find the best travel web sites, expose them to social networking and more! Check with your local university to see if there is a student who might want to volunteer to lead these classes or reach out to an Internet savvy resident or employee to lead these courses. You don’t have to be a technical guru to provide learning and sharing via the Web.

How many of you are currently offering Internet courses for your residents? If not, are any of your residents engaging in Internet courses at local universities?