Senior Learning Program Opens New Doors at Parkvue

Many people look forward to retirement filled with intellectual stimulation, exploration of new interests and engagement with their communities. Residents of Parkvue Community in Sandusky, Ohio, are experiencing a new interactive learning environment through Cleveland-based University Circle Inc.’s senior learning program.

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A University Circle Interactive Cleveland participant uses Parkvue Community’s Eversound headphone system to engage with the videoconferencing class.

Senior Learning On the North Coast

University Circle is the cultural district in Cleveland, home to world-renowned museums, prestigious universities and nationally recognized hospitals, restaurants and parks. The University Circle learning program, called University Circle Interactive Cleveland, provides an outlet for lifelong learning. Parkvue is one of just 13 retirement communities and senior centers in Ohio with access to it.

University Circle offers unique experiences using videoconferencing technology combined with the world-class resources of University Circle institutions. Videoconferencing enables Parkvue residents to “travel the world” using interactive technology in real time from their retirement community.

“Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” – Albert Einstein

Exploring New Interests

University Circle learning is not a typical lecture class. Instead, videoconferencing fosters interaction between educators and students. Activities Director Amy DiFilippo said University Circle brings experts into Parkvue, where they share their knowledge and experiences with older-adult participants. This weekly program typically ends with a Q&A session.

“We can learn for as long as we want, until the day we die, if we choose,” Amy said. “I love this program because it allows residents to do just that.”

Arts, Culture and History Courses

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University Circle Interactive Cleveland participants from Parkvue Community in Sandusky, Ohio, explore the Greater Cleveland Aquarium in late 2019.

Examples of recent topics include the history of American wars, Italian art, people and opera, marine sciences and sea stories, the natural world and America’s story through art. Sessions periodically culminate in field trips to Cleveland-area cultural institutions, such as the Cleveland Museum of Art or the Greater Cleveland Aquarium, with a tour guide in tow.

Residents of Parkvue Place, the community’s independent living building, and Parkvue Healthcare, the skilled nursing center, engage in the classes alongside members of the larger Sandusky community, if space allows.

Join Us In Our Next Adventure!

Learning is a lifelong journey, says DiFilippo, and University Circle Interactive Cleveland creates a convenient forum for Sandusky’s older adults to explore new interests and adventures. Obstacles to lifelong learning may include paying high course fees and finding transportation to and from a university campus. With University Circle, the classes come to older-adult participants at no cost to them.

To check seating availability for upcoming classes, contact Amy at 419.621.1900 or adifilippo@uchinc.org.