A CANADIAN-based researcher has compellingly contradicted the old adage that you can't teach an old dog new tricks with another maxim: "all is not lost".
Nilce Da Silva from the University of Quebec said learning new skills in later life helped older people to overcome the negative psychological and emotional effects of successive losses.
"Loss is unavoidable as we age, be it the death of loved ones or the loss of physical abilities, professional identity, economic power or independence; many people also truly mourn the realisation that youth has gone," Ms Da Silva told delegates at the International Federation of Ageing 13th global conference in Brisbane this week.
"My message is that 'all is not lost' when one can discover a new skill.
"The pleasure is in the learning: new possibilities of life, new friends. With this, you feel alive!"
Ms Da Silva's research has investigated the effect learning Italian had on older French-speaking Quebekans.
"The learning of language has been in a fun way, with activities such as table games and Italian cuisine," she said.
"Learning Italian, in this age, constructs a project of life with new friends, new activities and travel possibilities, as well as improved cognitive functions.
"When older adults have personal projects such as learning a new language, it provides new connections, bridging mourning and resilience."
