Casa de Esperanza holding fall workshop

Tens of thousands of new retirees have come to Southern Arizona in recent years seeking a life of leisure, kicking back and relaxing. But along with that new-found freedom comes one of life’s most challenging transitions.

Starting Sept. 20, a new series of six workshop sessions for seniors is presented by Green Valley’s Casa de Esperanza Community Center.

The fall workshop, Using Our Senior Brain to Cope with Aging and Retirement Stress, includes activities, discussion and practicing skills using brain-based tools, neuroscience and new brain scan research technology to better understand and change the way our brain deals with common, stressful events.

Each practical session in the six-week-long program will be held from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Casa Community Center located on the La Posada campus. The registration deadline is Sept. 10. Class size will be limited to 24 people to promote interactive exercises and discussion. For further information call Ellen March at Casa de Esperanza at 625-2273, ext. 40 to request an enrollment form.

The fall workshop enrollment fee is $45 per person, payable by Sept. 10. Depending upon public interest, the program may be offered again in 2009.

The stimulating Saturday morning series focuses on challenges and brain stress that often befuddle and upset the best laid plans for our “golden years.” The brain-changing course title is “Senior Coping with Aging and Retirement Stress.”

Workshop instructor and author Ronald Brill, 70, over the past 45 years has developed a number of innovative health education projects. The five-year Green Valley resident also knows first-hand the challenges of dealing with the transition into retirement and coping with aging issues.

“Aging and retirement are like a second adolescence,” Brill says. “In both times of life we need preparation to adjust and adapt to the natural changes that occur within our brain’s coping ability.”

In his book, “Emotional Honesty & Self-Acceptance” (2000), Brill focused on the importance of being honest with ourselves in order to accept our self. He examined why we often struggle when confronted by new and stressful experiences that lead to high anxiety and low self-esteem. He says building brain coping skills is a “key to well-being” by strengthening our emotional resilience.

In March of this year, Brill, together with a national advisory board of health, education and counseling professionals, published a new and free online learning Web site resource for teaching brain-based coping skills to fourth through sixth graders. Parts of that Web site will be used in the new Casa course for seniors. The free educational Web site is: www.copingskills4kids.net.

rford@gvnews.com | 547-9770