In an effort to enrich the lives of residents through their newest joint collaboration, Belmont Village Senior Living has joined forces with UCLA’s highly-esteemed Senior Scholars program at the Longevity Center to provide a powerful educational opportunity to participate in online undergraduate courses led by the university’s world-renowned professors. Courses are being held virtually within Belmont Village’s Hollywood, Westwood, Burbank, Encino, Aliso Viejo, La Jolla, Sunnyvale, Los Gatos, and Scottsdale communities, so residents can easily join with no registration or fees, to engage in higher learning.
Known for its award-winning enrichment programs and innovative partnerships, Belmont Village has been a longtime supporter of the UCLA Longevity Center with CEO and founder Patricia Will, serving on the board.
“We’re excited to offer this incredible opportunity with UCLA’s Senior Scholars Program to our residents, to encourage them to broaden their minds and engage intellectually in lifelong higher education,” says Patricia Will, founder and CEO of Belmont Village Senior Living. “Our award-winning programs and dedicated partnerships are designed to improve quality of life and are central to what defines Belmont Village, as we continually strive and encourage our residents to never stop growing, learning, and thriving.”
This partnership with Belmont Village is an extension of UCLA’s Senior Scholars Membership program that provides older adults (50+) with an opportunity to connect with UCLA’s academic community and audit UCLA undergraduate courses, in which Belmont residents have been participating. Belmont Village and the Senior Scholars program are working on bringing in teacher assistants to lead in-person discussions about coursework in Belmont Village’s Hollywood, Westwood, Burbank, and Encino communities to augment the experience.
Belmont Village residents can choose from the following virtual UCLA Senior Scholar courses available for the Fall semester:
- Ancient Near East 15W: Women and Power in the Ancient World – Examination of how feminine power confronts masculine dominance within complex social systems in the ancient world.
- Theater 106: History of American Theater and Drama – Survey of key works of American dramatic literature and landmarks of American theater history.
- Film/TV 33: Introductory Screenwriting – Structural analysis of feature films and development of professional screenwriters’ vocabulary for constructing, deconstructing, and reconstructing their work.
As a pioneer and innovator of researched-based health and wellness programs, Belmont Village also prioritizes a healthy mind and cognitive function, and the Senior Scholars program is a prime example. Other Belmont Village programs are designed to follow a Whole Brain Fitness approach that aims to improve brain health through the right nutrition, physical exercise, mental workouts, and lifelong learning that in turn reduces stress, and provides a strong social network and a sense of purpose.
“It’s not just about living longer,” said Will. “This kind of mental and intellectual engagement improves cognitive function so that seniors can live better, more meaningful lives.”