BETHEL – Elmer and Fern Brown of Wells will challenge participants to think outside the box as they present an interactive workshop “Mind Games” at the Aging Well Community Conference from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at Crescent Park School. The conference is co-sponsored by Western Mountains Senior College and SAD 44 Adult Education and is open to the community.

Fern Brown, co-director of Maine Adventures in Creativity, sponsors of Odyssey of the Mind in Maine, and her husband, Elmer, a long-time volunteer and coach with the program, teach at York County Senior College.

Their course on Mind Games was an effort to bring Odyssey of the Mind-type challenge to seniors. Their senior students were so excited about the class that they formed the first-ever senior citizen team to compete and win Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Boulder, Colo., in May.

The Browns said participants in the workshop will open their minds to their own capabilities and, most of all, will laugh. One of the great accomplishments that came out of their team’s participation in World Finals was that the young people with whom they spoke said they would never look at their grandparents the same way again. The Browns hope participants in their workshop will not look at themselves in the same way either. “Exercising the brain, especially the right side of the brain, is as important as exercising the body,” they said.

The conference will open with a keynote talk, “Confessions of an Aging Couch Potato” by Kali Lightfoot, executive director, National Resource Center for Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Portland.

Other workshops scheduled include: Sexuality and Aging, Love Never Dies by Wendy Iseman, MSW; Sensible Eating in the 21st Century by Dr. Richard DeCarolis, DO, and Cathi DiCocco; Taking the “Old” Out of Aging by Sandi Kottman, RN; Finding Balance, Gaining Strength by Louisa Abarno, LMT, and Betsy Foster, MPH; The Four Dimensions of Healing by Cate Journey, LCSW; and Exploring Different Paths to Spirituality in Aging by Sharon Lyon, certified LMT, Keven Pennell, Reiki Master, and John Russell, retired Congregational clergyman.

Although senior college members must be age 50 and over, this conference is open to anyone interested through the co-sponsorship of SAD 44 Adult Education. The registration fee is $25, and $20 for senior college members. Limited sponsorships are available. Registration includes lunch catered by Good Food Store, Bethel, refreshment breaks and all conference materials. There will be fixed seating and interested persons are encouraged to register early. To register, request a brochure, sponsorship or further information, call the SAD 44 Adult Education Office at 207-824-2780.