It’s the manly man thing
Posted by Kim on November 13th, 2007 / Print This Post
Men who reside in nursing homes often have no activities geared just for them. It’s too bad- men have different hobbies and likes than women. Activity professionals are working to rectify this situation.
Men may no longer be an endangered species at nursing homes — but they certainly aren’t social butterflies, either.As the male population hovers around 25 percent, staffers are trying to get men out of their rooms and involved in activities.
While women have no trouble making new friends and organizing knitting and book clubs and shopping trips, men often must be recruited to attend programs designed specifically for them.
“The biggest problem is many of the men of this generation are not the type to get together socially,” said Shawn Fink, program director at Menorah Park in Beachwood. “We are trying to break down those barriers that men put up. It’s the manly man thing — I don’t sit around and talk.’ ”
But that’s all many men in nursing homes can do. Their lives, which once revolved around their jobs, home projects and family, are now focused on maintaining their health.
Manly man thing?
At Menorah Park, men are organized into groups to play poker, go to Indians games and relax with whiskey or bourbon. They bowl, golf and play baseball on the Nintendo Wii video game.About two dozen men also meet twice a month in a men’s club. Davidson said they have discussed topics such as sports, old westerns and the military. And men who may not have gone to synagogue when they were younger now regularly attend.
Have they asked the men what activities they would like to participate in?
I have worked in nursing homes where men have a lot of activites planned just for them:
Weekly Men’s Groups: Coffee, beer or other drinks, a topic of discussion, props designed for the guys; they watch a movie or documentary and hold a discussion after…Trips to museums, car shows…one group went to a local gym three times a week to workout! Building models; painting objects for gifts; gardening (yes men like this); one home actually purchased an old beat up car and the men fixed it up…
The ideas are endless but many barriers exist within the walls of nursing homes. Break down the barriers and men can and do thrive among their peers.