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She opens world of learning to those 50-plus

BY ANNE BURKE
Today Staff Writer

Photo by Rich Schmitt

An advocate for aging well, Helen Berman helps direct and promote programs at the UCLA Center on Aging.

When you ask Helen Berman how old she is, she smiles. “I’ll be 71 this month, so I’m aging,” she says. “So are you.”

Gee, Helen, thanks for noticing, you say. “Well, what’s the alternative?” she says, laughing. “Nothing I’m ready for yet!”

Berman’s upbeat attitude is part of her job. For nearly 10 years, she’s been executive administrator of the UCLA Center on Aging, where the motto is “Living Better Longer.”

Under the direction of Gary W. Small, the Parlow-Solomon Professor on Aging, Berman and her staff put together a variety of programs for “older adults,” which includes anyone age 50 or older.

Among the center’s newest offerings is a five-week course on memory training, based on Small’s research at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior. For two hours each week, participants learn exercises and techniques to counter the effects of age-related memory loss. But it’s not for those with dementia, Berman said.

About 2,000 people — from thirtysomethings to nonagenarians — have completed the program since it started in 2003. Courses are held on campus and other locations in Southern California. The cost for those who want to attend a campus course is $50, but staff and faculty are eligible for a reduced fee.

Among the most popular of the center’s many offerings is the Senior Scholars Program, through which older adults can audit undergraduate courses for a $150 contribution, all but $25 of which is tax-deductible. These older learners sit alongside regular students and are encouraged to keep up with the reading, although they’re not required to take exams or write papers.

Currently, about 70 members of the AARP crowd are taking courses at UCLA through Senior Scholars. Many are doctors, engineers and lawyers who feel their liberal education got shortchanged in the pursuit of a professional degree.

“It gives people a chance to delve into areas they’ve always had an interest in, but never had time to explore,” Berman said.

Married to Eugene Berman, a retired physician, the administrator believes people should stay physically and mentally active in retirement and beyond.

Berman practices what she preaches. A UC Berkeley graduate in social work, she came to work at UCLA when she was 50 years old, starting as a clerk in the School of Medicine and quickly working her way up.

She retired in her early 60s, but when Small asked her to come back to help him run the center, she happily obliged.

“You can’t bring back young,” she said. “But you can enjoy and contribute.”

In 2005, her efforts on behalf of older Americans earned her an “LA Pearl” award from the City of Los Angeles. The award honors the contributions of the city’s “senior” community.

Berman, of course, will retire for good one day, but you can bet she won’t be sitting in a rocking chair when she does.