Mental fitness : the continuing experience...: Summary report

During the past five years, the research and development of mental fitness for seniors at Century House has proceeded in three distinct phases: Phase I - Lifelong Learning Project (Needs Assessment); Phase II - Mental Fitness Research Project; Phase III - Mental Fitness Pilot Project; PHASE IV: Mental Fitness: The Continuing Experience. While providing needed programs for Century House, Phase IV also presented an opportunity to address a number of additional questions related to the development of (A) a model program that would work with diverse groups of people and (B) a model for second level programming for people who have taken an introductory course. Based on our experience with the pilot program, our task was: (A) To develop, implement, and evaluate a basic model program, Introduction to Mental Fitness. (B) To develop, implement, and evaluate a series of monthly seminars, Mental Fitness: The Continuing Experience, for all those who participated in the pilot program. These two programs are experimental, part of our ongoing search for the formula for lifelong mental fitness.This report contains a descriptive evaluation of both A and B above, and rich insights concerning mental fitness, its many benefits, and how it can be most effectively developed throughout the full span of life. In the report, italics represent direct quotes of participants from either the documentation of discussions or written feedback questionnaires.