All Life is Learning - September 2025

When Living Becomes Assisted: A Journey into Caring for a Loved One with Dementia 

OLLI’s Senior Readers Theatre—in collaboration with WMU’s Ethics Center and the Alzheimer’s Association—will present a free 20-minute play on October 22 at 4:30 p.m. in the College of Health and Human Services Auditorium (Room 1010). 

Stay after the curtain call for an engaging, expert-led discussion, where professionals from WMU and the Alzheimer’s Association will unpack the themes of the play and invite audience reflection. 

When Living Becomes Assisted, presented free to the public, offers powerful insight into the emotional and ethical challenges of caring for a loved one with dementia. Told through the eyes of a devoted daughter and her aging parent, the performance captures the initial denial and reluctant realization that so many families experience when faced with this disease. 

It is more than a performance—it is a mirror of real-life struggles and a call to compassionate action. Whether you are navigating these challenges yourself, supporting someone who is, or simply seeking greater understanding, this evening promises to educate, inspire, and remain with you long after the lights go down. Admission is free, but the impact is priceless. 

Save the Date: Annual Meeting 

November 12, 1–3 p.m. at People’s Church 
Guest Speaker: Reid Williams, Director of Audience & Civic Engagement at NowKalamazoo and co-founder of the Local Journalism Foundation of Kalamazoo County. 

Preventing Alzheimer’s Disease with Exercise 

Written by Tyler Norman, Ph.D. 
Manager of Corporate Outreach 
ACSM Exercise Physiologist 
NCFI Corporate Fitness Specialist  
West Hills Athletic Club, WMU 

I’ve been a member of the West Hills staff for 30 years, and in that time I’ve built many friendships that have made working here a wonderful experience. Unfortunately, over the years I have seen a handful of our members suffer from the effects of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Witnessing how the disease impacts not only the individual but also their friends and family members made me curious about how exercise might play a role in prevention. 

As a fitness professional, I know I am biased, but when I compared the thousands of members I’ve known over the years with the relatively small number who developed some form of dementia, I began to develop a theory: people who exercise regularly are less likely to develop this insidious disease. 

When I started researching, I wasn’t surprised to find dozens of empirical studies supporting this idea. The Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation recently released a study concluding that regular exercise can reduce your risk by as much as 50%! The theory is that increased circulation improves blood flow to the brain, which strengthens its ability to maintain old connections and build new ones. 

I also learned about the “Six Pillars of Alzheimer’s Prevention”: regular exercise, social engagement, healthy diet, mental stimulation, quality sleep, and stress management. Once I understood these, I refined my theory—because health club members often engage in activities that reinforce all six pillars. We know that regular exercise reduces stress, improves sleep, and stimulates the brain by producing endorphins. Add to that the social interaction naturally found in a health club setting, plus the tendency for exercisers to be more mindful of their diet, and my claim gains even more support. 

The takeaway here is that a health club membership can greatly improve your quality of life for many reasons—and one side effect may be a decreased likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, writing this article may have inspired my next research project. And luckily, I already have a captive audience! 

As always, please consult with a fitness professional before starting an exercise program.