This Month's Features

What do journaling, backyard astronomy, and Italian all have in common? They are all courses offered by Explorers Lifelong Learning Institute of Salem State University. Explorers, one of more than 400 Lifelong Learning Institutes across the country, offers a multitude of courses in two main semesters for people ages 50 and over.

In Gilroy, California, people line up to purchase watermelon, ice cream and chocolate, all of which are laced with fresh, pungent garlic. Underwater divers off Florida’s Looe Key are serenaded by sounds ranging from a song sung by the Beatles to the high-pitched call made by humpback whales.

Southborough - According to the National Fire Protection Association, people age 65 and over are twice as likely to be killed or injured by fires compared to the population at large.

Adult learners participate in classes and special lectures as part of Lifelong Learning at Regis College. Photo/submitted By Zenya Molnar, Contributing Writer Learning is an ongoing process...

Hearing loss is one of the most prevalent medical conditions affecting Americans of all ages, with more than 30 million Americans age 12 and older having some level of impaired hearing, according to the National Institute on Deafness. Among Americans 45 and older, hearing impairment is one of the most common chronic conditions and can lead to social isolation, functional decline, and even depression.

In 1909, in an effort to gain additional publicity for his popular daily newspaper the Boston Post, owner and publisher Edwin Grozier distributed gold tipped ebony canes to selectmen in 700 New England towns with the request that the canes be presented to the towns’ oldest male residents. The idea was that when the holder of the cane passed away, it would then go to the next oldest resident. Originally only presented to males, the custom was expanded to include women in 1930.

Southborough - Shelley Dropkin is a human resources professional and director of human resources at the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology in Boston. She is also a senior curler who was coach and alternate for the Team USA’s senior women who won bronze medals at the Senior World Championships in January in Sochi, Russia.

Massachusetts has always been home to Marilynn (74) and Sheila (78) Brass, accomplished bakers, cookbook authors, and raconteurs. This dynamic duo, who grew up in Winthrop and now live together in Cambridge, have launched a international book tour for their most recent, and third cookbook, “Baking with the Brass Sisters.”

Community meetings, such as this one in East Boston, are being held throughout the city to gather information on senior residents’ concerns. Photo/submitted By Valerie Franchi,...

Terry Durkin (left) shoots a basket in a game against a team from Maine in the Maine Senior Games held in September. By John Orrell,...