Activities for
Men . . . .
Author M. Celeste Chase, AC-BC, ACC, CDP Activity Directors Network ActivityDirector.org
While
walking through most Long Term Care facilities you will easily take note that
the ratio of female versus male residents is significantly tipped towards the
female population. Women residents outnumber men at the rate of about 2 to 1
(partly due to the fact women live longer than men). Contributing factors that
tip the scale further is that it is not uncommon to find that approximately 80%
of the staff is also female and the majority of visitors in general are female
as well. Men are simply outnumbered in Long Term Care facilities.
“this map of America shows the
male/female sex ratio for all the states and
counties — It's worth noting that,
at a glance, the most populous counties in
America seem to tilt towards female”.
Upon further glance it may appear
that a vast number of activity calendars have more programs geared for women
than men. Activity calendars often do reflect a variety of feminine-based domestic
activities such as cooking, baking or “unisex” geared activities. One might
speculate that Activity Directors focus on meeting the needs of the majority (female)
residents but it is more the case of how much more challenging it is to create
male oriented programs than it is for the female persuasion.
Consider some of the following
factors that contribute to the increased challenge in planning for men’s
activities.
·
Of the less than 30% of male
residents in Long Term Care facilities, approximately 1/3 of the population
present with less ability to communicate than women due to their respective
medical or mental status.
·
Some men suffer from strong fear of failure; particularly relating
to starting a new skill in which they may appear incompetent to others.
·
Men of past generations may feel embarrassed or self consciousness
relating to their particular disability and how it may cause unsuccessful
outcomes.
·
Career responsibilities that have long since pasted may leave a
sense of loss or void that may damage self-esteem, and instill feelings of
uselessness.
All of the above are useful information
when planning for men’s activities but are only a fraction of the possible
scenarios that today’s Activity Director needs to consider while planning for a
balanced and purposeful activity calendar.
Additionally, there are lifestyle differences
that contribute to men’s personal attitudes regarding leisure pursuits between
white collars versus blue collar workers. White collar workers engaged in less
physical job related labor, shorter work d hours and benefited from higher
paying salaries than blue collar laborers. Thus, white collar workers were more likely to
feel more energetic, have additional time in the day for leisure choices and
possessed the financial means that allowed him to select from a range of interests
and pursuits.
Below are some considerations that
may help you to best identify how to plan for men’s activities, specific to
Blue Collar Workers.
·
Men put in exhaustive long hours and often were left with little or
no time for leisure pursuits thus they tend to be lacking in leisure related
skills.
·
What little available free time in any given day was spent with
family members, particularly with their children.
·
Minimal earnings did not allow for financial means to spend on
leisure activities.
Starting Point – the assessment
/gender reviewed
 |
| Fine tune your Assessment Forms |
Most likely you already have a
standardized assessment form. Take some time to review your assessment form and
activity check sheet and take note of the types of activities that may be more
specific to male residents. You can
create a framework of questions that will help you probe for more details
regarding his preferences. As you check those areas of interest expressed by
your resident make it your mission to elicit and document more information describing
what makes his specific selection particularly appealing.
Example - Resident selects Sailing:
Questions to ask:
·
Can you describe what your sailboat looked like?
·
Where is your favorite sailing destination?
·
What time of day do you like go sailing?
·
Who do you like to be with when you go sailing?
·
How often did you go sailing?
·
How do you take care of your sailboat?
Your resident’s answers can be used
to engage him in a conversation at a later time about this past time experience
and will aide in re-affirming a particularly meaningful memory. Men of this generation often thoroughly enjoy
exchanging stories of past days of glory, sports or children and
grandchildren’s accomplishments. Look within your male population to group
residents with common denominators that you can foster in friendship and mutual
camaraderie.
Once you incorporate your
residents’ noted interest in the activity calendar and highlight care plan
objectives you are well on your way to providing
for the needs and interests of your resident as a unique individual within the
facility community - thereby meeting federal laws for nursing homes.
Men
might be the minority in this club but given the opportunity, appropriate
resources and a through comprehensive assessment, men may not only be able to
participate but contribute greatly by adding to the overall program enrichment
through a well balanced activity calendar schedule.
NOTE:
Although the Activity Director
professional who will focus on planning these activities keep in mind that the ALL
staff members are charged with ensuring that the needs and interests of each
individual is met to attain or maintain the highest practical physical, mental,
and psychosocial quality of life possible. Such programs are essential to the
health and well being of all men and women living in Long Term Care facilities
today.
Below
are a number of ideas for your consideration but remember, that you’re
objective is to find a “match” between your resident’s needs and interests to
the many potential ideas you come across.
Train Hobby Club – The collection for the
train hobbyist is numerous, everything from the train itself to the landscape
and surrounding villages will keep your resident busy. Look for a location in
the facility where you can leave the train convoy permanently set up for
residents to watch throughout the day.
Men’s Choral Group – Rehearse all time men’s favorite songs to musical accompaniment or
acapella style. Let your residents
listen to past male entertainment groups (Miracles, The Four Tops, The
Platters, etc.)
Car Talk – Collect car magazines and
new car brochures and solicit a discussion about new cars vs. the old cars,
foreign vs. domestic, manual vs. automatic transmission, 2-door, 4-door,
convertibles, etc.
Car Wash – A simple hose, bucket,
soap, sponges, and towels is all that’s needed. Solicit facility staff members to
volunteer their car for washing. Each resident may choose whether to wash, rinse,
dry, or just watch the scrubbing and polishing busy work.
Rope Tying – Former professionals and wanna-be
ship mates will enjoy trying and re-trying various rope techniques to get it
right - while sharing sea worthy tales. If there is no sea captain in the crowd
just purchase the many rope tying teaching books out there and dawn your sailor
hat to get the ship moving.
Santas Workshop – Doll houses, airplanes, train
kits, bird house, mailboxes etc., make for a super great Santa Shop assembly
line. Finished product can be donated to non-profit organizations such as Toys
for Tots during the holidays. Your men will love knowing how meaningful their
labor of love will be to a child.
Sports Time – Watching a live or a
pre-recorded horse race, ballgame, boxing match on a big-screen will get the
crowd in the mood. Set out peanuts, popcorn, and pretzels. Serve non-alcoholic
beer and soda. NOTE: keep in mind
any issue with potential chocking risk/consult with nursing.
Competitors Club – Horseshoes, bean bag tosses,
badminton, and bocce ball, balloon toss are fun games that involve a lot of
movement while encouraging interaction, socialization, and teamwork.
At the Movies – Ask the residents to select a film (a western, war movie, or
mystery). Schedule a matinee or an evening showing. Supply hot-buttered
popcorn, movie-style candy, and soda (if permissible- relating to potential
chocking/consult with nursing). NOTE: War movies may be triggering for
some residents. Be sure to vet your residents for potential behavior relating
to aggression that may be triggered from viewing war movies.
Honoring Veterans – Military veterans are often
eager to exchange stories about the war days as a way to bond and honor veterans
and the past memories. Create a list of “military positions” held by your
resident and post in an easily visible location to honor their service.
Casino Night – Organize a game of
dominoes, checkers, chess, or a card game (poker or Blackjack). Be sure to decorate
with all the ambiance and glitz and glamour to set the tone. Arches ranging
from roulette wheel to gleaming gold circle to let the residents make an
entrance.
Tool Bits – Provide a variety of
different sized nuts, bolts, and washers and a few empty containers. Either
direct the person to sort the items or assemble the items and start up a
conversation and provide pictures about what each item might be used to make. NOTE:
Be aware if there is any evidence whereas you believe that your resident may
want to ingest non-consumable items.
Trade Show – Journey out to a local hardware
store, such as Home Depot or Lowe’s. Make a project list and ask the men to
find the supplies to complete the job. Many men enjoy discovering new tools and
many will spend countless hours at a hardware or home-improvement center.
Shoe Shine – Contac a local shoe shop to
enlist the tradesman to come to the facility to show off his craft to the men
of the house. Your residents can wear their Sunday best shoes for this shoe
renovation. Offer newspapers, magazines, books for reading while resident shoes
get a new lease on life. The smell of
shoe polish may evoke memories and provide opportunities to reminisce.
Card or Coin Collection Club – Many men collected and
traded baseball cards or coins when they were young. Gather a collection of
baseball cards or coins and set up a sorting/organizing station. Obtain
detailed information about the items to share with the residents. Encourage the
men to talk about their baseball or coin favorites and share how they acquired
their treasures.
Career Day – Gather a collection of photographs with a focus on jobs, occupations,
and careers. (Also consider: colleges, military service, sports activities,
clubs or organizations, hobbies or leisure activities.) Encourage the person to
discuss the photographs and their past employment. Pass around various hats
representing different careers and ask residents to talk about which occupation
they think the hat belongs to. Share information about each career such as,
educational requirements and potential earnings.
M.
Celeste Chase, AC-BC, ACC, CDP
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