Health and Wellness   

What happens to human “consciousness” when we die? In 1978 Dr. Raymond Moody's landmark book Life After Life reported on Moody’s investigation of 150 people who died “clinically,” were subsequently revived, and reported similar extraordinary experiences. His book started a revolution in popular attitudes regarding an “afterlife” and forever changed how we understand both death and life. Since then, with vastly improved resuscitation techniques, five decades of scientific research on thousands of NDEs has brought us powerful evidence that yes, Virginia, there is “life" after physical death and, as frosting on the cake, what awaits us is both heart-warming and extremely comforting. Physicians and professors at prominent universities, medical schools, and hospitals world-wide continue to study this phenomenon with seriously "mind-blowing" results. This course brings you up to speed on these findings as well as what we now know about other exceptional “paranormal” phenomenon.

This class is for anyone who is interested in “Birding” or “Bird Watching” and who enjoys being outdoors, walking 1-2 miles, and interacting with others while watching birds. The classroom sessions will consist of birding etiquette and appearance of birds including size, shape, color and identifying field marks. They will highlight bird behaviors and habitats and other interesting aspects of these living dinosaurs and how they reflect the health of our planet.

In the four classroom sessions, George will share his photos of birds on PowerPoint, his knowledge and experience in birding, and his experience being a citizen scientist. The other four sessions will be field trips. Locations include Bluff Lake Nature Center, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, and other locations. These field trip sessions may be longer than 2 hours and scheduled depending on the weather.

If you’ve ever asked, “Why is health care like this?” — this course is for you. Over eight weeks, we’ll take a serious, detailed look at how the U.S. health care system, despite its enormous potential, became so complex, fragmented, and difficult to navigate. We’ll cover the history of medicine and medical training, the development of scientific knowledge, the evolution of reimbursement and payment systems, and the layered, often contradictory structures that shape how care is delivered. We’ll examine the societal, institutional, and individual-level factors that influence how people seek care, experience illness, and interact with a system that often leaves them confused and frustrated. We’ll understand why there are no easy answers or simple fixes. Each 2-hour session is dense with information, intended for learners who want to truly understand—not just skim—the dynamics that shape today’s health care environment.

America’s healthcare system presents a fascinating paradox: we spend more per capita than any other developed nation—yet achieve poorer health outcomes and face significant barriers to care. This course demystifies our complex healthcare landscape, and its evolution into a fragmented system made up of Medicare, Medicaid, private insurance, the Affordable Care Act and self-pay. We’ll follow the money trail of our $4.3 trillion healthcare expenditure, examining funding mechanisms and comparing our performance internationally. A critical focus will be the estimated $300-500 billion lost annually to waste, fraud, and profit-driven intermediaries who extract value without delivering care. Finally, we’ll evaluate current reform proposals, including Colorado’s single-payer study legislation and federal Medicare for All bills, analyzing their funding mechanisms and political challenges/impediments. Through expert presentations, curated resources, and robust discussion, participants will gain the knowledge needed to understand—America’s healthcare past, present and, perhaps what its future can be.

Required:  Medicare for All A Citizens Guide  Recommended: online videos

"Know your nature. Know your strength. Know who you are—and embody that." (Prem Rawat)

The Peace Education Program is designed to support you in uncovering your inner strengths and resources so that you can gain a deeper understanding of yourself.

This engaging, two-hour course will be held weekly over the span of five weeks. It showcases a media-based peace education initiative developed by The Prem Rawat Foundation, guiding you on a journey to explore your inner resources, including Peace, Appreciation, Inner Strength, Self-awareness, Clarity, Understanding, Dignity, Choice, Hope, and Contentment.

The program features inspiring video excerpts from world-renowned peace educator and bestselling author Prem Rawat’s presentations around the globe, along with captivating, animated stories. With the help of provided workbooks, facilitators will engage participants through insightful discussions, interactive activities, and meaningful reflections. Together, we will delve into the theme of personal peace through a transformative process of self-discovery.

No Class 10/01/2025

“Dying is more than a set of medical problems to be solved. The fundamental nature of dying is not medical, but it is personal and experiential.”

We will all die and we need to be prepared. We also need to develop our own understandings, attitudes and wishes of what our end-of-life should look like. This course explores: Why is death frightening? Why has death become more fearsome with scientific advancements? What is the nature of death and what are the trajectories of how life will end? How to navigate our complicated healthcare system to experience a good death?

In order to be prepared for the end of life, we need to do our homework and make our end-of-life choices and share them with our surrogate decision maker, family members and health care providers. Through reading stories, discussions and self-examination, these choices become clearer by the end of the course.

As we get older, the risk of falling tends to increase significantly due to a gradual decline in balance abilities. This decline may begin in middle age and progress slowly, making it easy to ignore - until a fall happens. To address this, incorporating balance training into our personal health management strategy is essential, allowing us to take proactive steps toward maintaining stability and preventing falls.

Minding Your Balance™ training addresses this need, drawing on lessons from the martial art Ki-Aikido to take a groundbreaking look at balance and its fundamental relationship to mind and emotion. Easy to learn mind body exercises, scientific insights, and stories of applications in everyday life provide participants with tools to immediately improve balance control.

Participants work individually and with partners. Activities can be done seated and standing; all activities are adaptable to different needs and abilities.

Recommended - Minding Your Balance: Mind Body Exercises to Improve Balance & Prevent Falls - $15 on Amazon

Everyone eats. So it’s important to know how to creatively, artistically and responsibly prepare a meal, whether it’s just you, a small family, or the whole world. This four-part course will examine and discuss the challenges of feeding ourselves…and the world. As our families shrink to a one- or two-person household, we need to adjust our shopping, planning and preparation. From preparing simple, healthy meals to feeding the whole planet, we’ll explore the connection of every human being through food.

Class does not meet 10/09 or 10/16

Michael Pollan, one of the most trusted food experts in America, demonstrates the relationship between people and domesticated plants in this PBS series. Learn how Pollan has linked four fundamental human desires – sweetness, beauty, control and intoxication – with plants that satisfy those needs. The stories of the apple, the tulip, the potato and cannabis illustrate how plants have evolved to satisfy humankind’s most basic yearnings. This 4-week class is loosely based on the series and will feature lively discussion.

What better way to spend your Friday mornings than on a morning walk with your OLLI buddies in Colorado’s fall weather?! You’ll explore places like land trust properties, state parks, and maybe a private ranch.

"We don’t need no stinkin’ sidewalks." Walks are curated for OLLI’s population by local, nature-related non-profits. All walks are rated easy to moderate with some elevation changes, and are led by trained, volunteer guides who provide a fun and educational experience. Learn about plants, wildlife, geology, history, and our environment while getting in your steps!

You’ll travel to places that may be familiar to you, and likely some new ones. We’ll arrange meetup spots for those who want to carpool or caravan.

Wait, there’s more! A class favorite is the optional lunch after each walk, where we continue the fun and camaraderie. Be an OLLI OUTSIDER!

Class Fee: Each class member, including Jan, pays a $50 class fee in addition to the OLLI course fee of $70. 100% of the class fees are donated to the non-profit organizations who lead our walks.