Age Well: Empowering Champions
- Age Well free lectures are yet another way Road Scholar empowers older adults to lead fulfilling lives.
- The lectures address a broad range of issues related to health and general well-being, from physical, mental and emotional wellness to financial health and strong relationships.
- They provide practical strategies for approaching life’s fourth age with optimism, purpose and a sense of adventure.
When “Champion Your Health” was announced as the 2026 theme for May’s Older Americans Month, it brought to mind the Road Scholar Age Well participants who are doing exactly that.
Age Well, our series of free lectures for people entering life’s fourth age, is about flourishing as we get older, taking charge of our own good health in all the ways it can be defined — physical, emotional, mental, financial, relational and more.
While Age Well is fairly new, it’s just the latest extension of the work Road Scholar began over 50 years ago, and an affirmation of our core beliefs.
In the 1970s, people of a certain age were supposed to retire, withdraw and take up a quiet hobby or two. Common wisdom held that, for them, the time for exploring and engaging with the world was past.
That didn’t sit well with Road Scholar’s (then Elderhostel’s) founders, Marty Knowlton and David Bianco, who were convinced older people had a healthy appetite for lifelong learning, and lacked only the opportunity.
They offered the first Elderhostel program in 1975. Within weeks, word began to spread and eager learners were filling programs to capacity. That soon led to programs in locations beyond the organization’s New England roots, which in turn led to programs wherein the destinations themselves were integral parts of the learning experience. Thus began a steady march toward the Road Scholar of today, where travel coupled with education brings tens of thousands of adventurous, intellectually curious older adults into the Road Scholar family each year. So much for the idea that older people are beyond their learning years!
Recently, Road Scholar has debunked another myth about older adults — namely, that they’re technology-resistant. In 2020, we made our first foray into online programs. Delivered in formats including one-hour lectures and multi-day learning adventures (our first was a lecture on French Vikings in Normandy), they offered a whole different way for our community to explore the world together. The programs were an immediate hit, quickly dispelling any notion that older people are uncomfortable engaging virtually.
In fact, interest in our online programs has only grown. Some participants are no longer physically able to travel, others can’t afford to, but many, many others are online for the sheer joy of discovery — further proof that Marty Knowlton’s and David Bianco’s instincts were correct.
Another example of technology bringing Road Scholars together for community building and learning has been the dramatic growth of our social media presence. There are currently over half a million Road Scholars engaged on Facebook and Instagram. On Facebook alone, you can find them not just in our general-interest group, but in groups for women, outdoors enthusiasts, retired teachers, caregivers, social justice advocates and more. Here, too, the appetite for an enriching life is demonstrated by Road Scholars every day.
All of this laid the groundwork for Age Well, which began with a simple thought: If we could guide our participants toward educational travel experiences as a path to fulfilment, how else might we empower them in their pursuit of satisfying lives?
The opportunities seemed limitless. We believed that the same spirit of inquiry and discovery that drives people to lifelong learning through travel would drive them to explore how they could adapt, adjust and seize the possibilities of each day — to be champions of their own health and well-being. So we began to develop programs to help them flourish in these ways.
Physical health seemed like one good place to start, and indeed it was the topic of several initial Age Well presentations. We invited movement educator David Wilson to be one of our first lecturers, and he made an impassioned case for embracing curiosity as a motivator for physical conditioning — challenging us to think “What can I do? What goals could I reach?” rather than focusing on limitations. A few months later, nutrition specialist Pam VanKampen talked about small, easy-to-implement changes in nutrition that can produce big health benefits.
Several of our presenters have focused on mental health issues. Beverly Thorn, PhD, looked at the causes and trajectory of dementia, while Amherst College professor Catherine Sanderson, PhD, examined the power of nature to reduce stress and anxiety.
We’ve explored emotional health issues, too, like the impact of changing family dynamics over time, the value of kindness and the importance of social connections to overall well-being.
Then there are the challenges and opportunities that present themselves in everyday living. One Age Well presentation looked at the issues surrounding relocation — everything from regional housing costs to the uncertainties of moving to be near family. On the other side of the coin, we examined things that make it easier to stay in one’s current home — modifications and technologies designed to with an eye toward day-to-day comfort and safety.
Age Well has shown people strategies for managing clutter. We’ve discussed managing budgets in retirement. We’ve even tackled sticking with New Year’s resolutions!
The reception has been so positive, and the range of potential topics so broad, that we have increased the frequency of new Age Well presentations to roughly two per month. (It’s worth noting that the development costs for these free programs are underwritten to a great extent by donors who generously support Road Scholar initiatives like this.)
For those looking to heed Older Americans Month’s call to “Champion Your Health,” Age Well is an empowering resource. It fits nicely into the larger Road Scholar mission, which we might express simply as “Champion Your Life.” In more ways than ever, we are discovering how rewarding it is to help people maintain a sense of possibility, optimism and adventure while living their best lives.
See what’s coming next in the Age Well series!
