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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 Our MEPAP 1 & 2 Courses Begin Aug 6th, required for NCCAP Activity Director Certification. Contact Us at ActivityDirector.org - 1.888.238.0444 - admin@activitydirector.net 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. Copyright © 2019 Activity Directors Network, LLC All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: 2010 US HWY 190 W Ste 120 Livingston, Texas 77351

M. Celeste Chase, AC-BC, ACC, CDP 10yr Instructor for the Activity Directors Network has written a guideline to help you with your Men residents. Men have always been a topic of discussion when it comes to planning Activities. Read through this guide and let us know what your best success with Mens Activities are..... Activities for Men . . . . January 08, 2019 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. ref: 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 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 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 a Capella 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 Activity Directors Network - MEPAP 1&2 Begins the 1st Tuesday of every month. ActivityDirector.org 1.888.ADU.0444

MEPAP 1 & 2 Starts the 1st Tuesday of the Month --------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Great news from Lisa Drew (ME1&2 alumna) Date: Sat, 26 Jan 2019 15:41:27 +0000 (UTC) Dear Kathy-- I finished my MEPAP2 this past November and I'm moved to write and tell you that before I've even had a chance to take my NCCAP exam, I've been offered an amazing job! I will be opening and running the Life Enrichment Department at a new AL & Memory Care facility opening in the Spring here in the Nashville, TN area. It was absolutely a direct result of the work I did and the information and knowledge I got in your two courses that I was able to step up and demonstrate how prepared I was to run a department. I had forms and lists and ideas and plans and even a job summary for hiring an assistant I was able to present on my very first interview. More importantly, finishing the courses gave me a tremendous amount of confidence. Where I am today from where I was a year ago before starting the course is incredible. You gave me what I needed to get the job of my dreams. And even though it's not a regulation that I be an ADC for this position, I am sending in all my paperwork this weekend and will sit for the exam as soon as I can arrange it. Thank you again for the life-changing classes. Please feel free to use this letter as a testimonial for the course if you wish. Sincerely, Lisa ............................................... Subject: Re: Great news from Lisa Drew (ME1&2 alumna) Date: Mon, 28 Jan 2019 16:13:34 -0800 Hello Lisa, Congratulations! I am so proud of you. Let us know how the new job is going!Kathy

Holiday Mindfulness …….. Author: M. Celeste Chase AC-BC, ACC, CDP Activity Directors Network - ActivityDirector.org 11/14/2018 The holidays are an emotional time, a time in when our focus is on connecting and making memories with the ones that mean the most to us. It is a time typically filled with joy and cheer as well as happy anticipation. Many of us will take time off from work to give ourselves more leisure time to enjoy those magical moments of gift giving and receiving, enjoy friends and family gatherings and a take part of bountiful food set upon the table. The magical component about annual events such as holidays and birthdays, is that they leave us with an indelible hall marker – a framed still picture of sorts; left behind to lead us back to what that moment represented. Although we may forget what that still picture looked like with the passing of time, we do not lose the ability to sense how we felt about that moment till long after. During the upcoming season, be mindful that aside from how the residents’ personal old history has colored their view of holiday or birthday events, he/she may also assimilated more (recent) new experiences related to the aging process itself that further changes the residents’ outlook and attitude about the upcoming holidays. Below listed just a few samples of emotional and physical issues that may greatly affect how the resident perceives his/her own quality of life. Limited mobility –Decreased ability to move around as they used to, now needing the help of a walker, a wheelchair, or is fragile and at risk of falling can hinder their ability to fully participate in the holiday celebration. Medical conditions like arthritis or previous injuries can prohibit full mobility so be mindful of how physical health can dampen the holiday spirit. Enlist a skilled professional to assess if medication management would be helpful if not already in place. Living in a Nursing Home or Assisted Living Facility – One of the greatest things about the holidays is enjoying your time at home. Many seniors mourn the loss of their home life and long for the comforts of their own home during the holidays and reminisce about the traditions created there over the years. Depression – It is important to note that sadness during the holiday season is a relatively normal experience for some seniors. However, if you have noticed that symptoms of depression are a year-round occurrence, it is important to take action and once again consult a skilled professional Recession – The recession hit some people very hard and many seniors are now living on a limited, fixed income. Your loved one may be upset that they cannot provide an abundant holiday like they used to and this may cause them to feel inadequate when it comes time for the family to unwrap their gifts. Seasonal Affective Disorder - The holiday season can trigger a seasonal depression (also known as seasonal affective disorder – SAD) that can take toll on their wellbeing. If depression is already a concern, seasonal depression will make the current problem worse. NOTE: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) can include fatigue, desire to sleep more, apathy, desire to be left alone, low energy and weight gain due to carbohydrate cravings and depression. This condition must be clinically evaluated for appropriate treatment or interventions to be initiated. Loneliness is one of the most prevalent factors leading to depression during the holiday season. Over the years, the loved ones lost are mourned; loss of physical mobility is mourned often damaging our emotional wellbeing in a significant way. It is often enough sadness to leave anyone feeling down regardless of age. Be aware that elders tend to brush of or minimize how they are truly feeling. They may explain that they are having an “off day” simply because that they did not get enough sleep the night before or they may tell you that they are just getting over a cold or they may not actually really know why they are feeling out of sorts. Activity professionals need to tread gently with their own personal exuberance and excitement during this time of year and carefully listen to the cues that your resident will give you to help you better understand their needs. When your interpretation is accurate you will discover ways to create meaningful moments that will allow them to fully embrace and celebrate the holiday season once again. Here are some ideas for the holidays that might connect with your resident: Grow an amaryllis: Kits for these magnificent large blooms are plentiful at holiday time, and they come in many colors. The amaryllis grows significantly every day for weeks, so you can literally watch it get bigger from day to day. They grow into large blossoms and are stunning in a group. Facility Based Holiday craft fair: Here is an idea to make a craft fair event. Use your creative skills and make a dollar bill; “look-a-like” This is money that residents can use to make purchases at their very own facility holiday craft fair. Send a flyer to families and local communities to donate items for the fair. Each resident is given “look-a-like” money the day of the fair to make purchases. The generosity of others during the holiday is amazing and your resident’s reaction will be amazing too. Make a gingerbread house: Gingerbread houses are highly creative holiday activities for seniors and have all sorts of possibilities. You can tailor the process to your participants, using an easy kit, or baking the gingerbread from scratch and cutting it out from a pattern. You can even invite a professional baker to razzle and dazzle your residents. Tea Party holiday memories: Reading and discussing good books over a cup of tea always sparks meaningful engagement. Published holiday books are in an abundance to choose from. Make sure you have at least three possible book options, one of which might elicit a few laughs to ensure success. Sharing cultures: Holiday activities for many of us may cross a number of cultures and traditions. Almost everyone celebrates something during the winter months. You might invite your residents to decorate a designated area in their traditional cultural manner. Offer baked allow the residents to taste special foods, play special music, etc. The sharing of cultures can improve your residents’ sense of pride & celebrates his/her personal history & origins. “I once heard someone say that it was not helpful to be approached by a happy or cheery person at a time when they had personally been feeling out of sorts but that all changed when I tickled their funny bone and they found laughter again.” M. Celeste Chase, AC-BC, ACC, CDP ActivityDirector.org