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Activities for Men

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Activities for Men
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.

            http://digg.com/2017/sex-ratio-america-map
 
               “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 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:
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/s 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 thorough 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 will primarily 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.
Santa's 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, bocce ball, and 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 residents 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 resident 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 – Contact 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 resident 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.
Have a topic request or question for Celeste? Send them over to celestechase@activitydirector.org
 
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Activity Directors Network was founded in 1996 on the idea that we could help create elderly care that dramatically improved the lives of those we all serve. We envision facilities that feel like homes and that celebrate our resident’s individuality and allows them to live with dignity, purpose and joy. We believe the exchange of education and wisdom between the most talented teachers and passionate students is the way to make an impact. Each and every single one of you are the revolution that is changing everything. Thanks for being a part of The Network.
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Drysat

How ok it is to divide activities by gender? I truly think that you will never find a work, an occupation that cannot be done both by a man and a woman. Sure, there are things where women are better, there are things where it’s all about men, but you have no moral right to say that it’s impossible to be able to have a job only because of the thing dangling between your legs. I am a man and I play clubvip777. Do you really think that my girlfriend isn’t playing? Oh, she is making some cash right now actually. That’s why I’m saying that dividing people by gender is just not ok, not ok at all!

Edited by Drysat
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