|
By Debbie Hommel,
ACC, CTRS
 The male resident or client can sometimes pose a special challenge
to the activity professional in terms of developing programs
of interest and
motivation to attend programs. Male residents in long term care
communities are in the minority and in most cases, their needs
and interests are different than the masses of female residents
who reside in the facility. The activity professional and program
should reflect some effort to address these needs through tailored
and group programming. To first understand the male resident,
one must understand what generation they have come from. Growing
up during the 1920's through the 1960's was much different than
it is today. The men of that generation were a dominant force
in all aspects of life. They were the bread winners, bosses,
managers, owners, mayors, and overall decision makers in the
home and society. They equated their worth with their accomplishments,
their strength and ability to protect others. They had jobs
that had a tangible outcome and other people often depended
upon them for a service, support or protection. Even in the
family, the husband or father often assumed a dominant role.
This was before women's liberation and the wife and mother often
deferred to the husband in all decisions regarding money, raising
the children or home. This was the life they knew.
Today, these male residents are now residing in a community
because they need help. They have lost their independence and
are no longer the provider or protector. To make matters worse,
they are being cared for by women (for the most part, as male
care givers in health care are also less in numbers). The male
resident sometimes reacts by withdrawing from the mainstream
of events. They see a facility filled with women and make the
decision they cannot or won't fit in. In other cases, they may
become argumentative and demanding, possibly as means to reassert
their authority and control. And then there are the few men
who do adjust and join programs easily.
To address the needs of the male resident, the activity professional
can develop "gender specific" activities. Our calendars abound
with activities for women -cooking, crafts and the infamous
"Red Hat Society". We must also make sure there are ample activities
for the men. Scheduling separate activities for men is sometimes
not easy because of staffing or space. However, ensuring that
the men have a role within regularly scheduled activities as
well as special groups is important.
Craft groups: Having a workshop area for the men who
come to crafts is important. When the men see a group of women
working with yarn, pompoms and the typical feminine craft items,
they may not even enter the room. Defining a "workshop" for
the men with appropriate male oriented crafts is encouraged.
Working with wood, paint, tile, leather and similar items may
be more welcome. Most craft catalogs are filled with pages of
more manly oriented crafts.
Discussion groups: Providing the male resident with a
leadership role within daily programs is a successful approach.
Possibly the male resident could be responsible for obtaining
the newspaper from the front lobby and delivering it to the
program area. During current events, having a male resident
be the "weatherman" and report on weather conditions could be
another role. We think of many "hostess" oriented roles for
our female residents, we need to think of suitable "leader"
roles for our male residents.
Exercise programs: Scheduling a "men's gym or workout"
might be of interest to the male residents. Introducing light
weights or light gym equipment would be more appealing to the
male resident. Focusing on repetitions and increasing strength,
and monitoring progress on a chart is often appreciated by the
male resident.
Active games: Games that have a tangible quality and
equipment are often well received by the male population. Bowling,
basketball, target toss and similar games with equipment are
effective. Keeping the equipment adult-like and as close to
the original format as possible is recommended.
Many of the senior catalogs such as S
& S, Nasco, Sea Bay and Sportime have great supplies.
Creating teams and keeping score are also more appreciated by
the male resident. Creating a men's bowling league and contacting
nearby care facilities for a shared tournament has also been
successful.
Trips into the community: Locations for trips of interest
to men include local sporting events, fishing expeditions, museums
with male oriented topics (war, sporting, nature), and a local
"man's" bar for lunch. One of the more successful trips for
my male residents was taking them to the local Ford or Chevrolet
car dealership when the new car models arrived. I would make
pre-arrangements with the salesmen and they were willing to
spend time with the residents showing the new models and looking
under the hood.
Sensory/Diversional Programming: Ensuring there are male
interest oriented sensory baskets which include fishing, sports,
cars, and other items of interest to the cognitively impaired
man should be developed appropriately. Having diversional items
of interest for men such as bolt boards, pipe works, sorting
baseball cards, and sanding wood should also be available as
defined by the resident interest.
Interest clubs: Scheduling a "Men's Club" is one way,
but not the only way, to offer programs of interest to the male
resident. A regular men's club is recommended for every calendar.
Seeking a male staff member or volunteer to coordinate the program
is also highly recommended. The club content can be self directed,
defining topics of interest or directed by the group leader.
Louise Whitley, a social worker in NY State, introduced a program called
the "Plaid Flannel Shirt Society" for her male clients. Of course,
this evolved in response to the "Red Hat Society" for the women.
She wrote a wonderful poem "When
I am an old man." as a motto for the group.
There are two books about programming for male residents in
long term care. Gentlemen's Gatherings which can be obtained
from Gary Grimm Publishing Barbers, Cars and Cigars which can be obtained from Eldersong. Many companies have lots of trivia and reminiscent materials
of interest to male residents also.
Creative Forecasting has a monthly column which lists a variety of activity ideas
focusing on male interests. They often follow a seasonal or
holiday theme.
|
