Feature
LECs create programs for male residents
Wednesday August 29, 2007
Developing quality programs which interest men is one of the biggest challenges activity staff faces in long-term care homes.

With women representing the majority of long-term care residents, most programs are naturally geared towards the female segment. Not only is it a challenge to create programs for men, say some life enrichment co-ordinators (LECs), but it can be difficult getting men interested in programming.

Programming is important for residents because activities enhance cognitive and motor skills, as well as have restorative benefits. Programs, in turn, help play an important part in ensuring residents live full, enriching lives.

The key to getting men interested in programming starts with having a good staff, says Chris Charlebois, LEC at Maplewood in Brighton. If staff members reach out to residents and engage them in a jovial manner, it often has remarkable results.

“If your staff is eager and outgoing, then it tends to bring more residents to your programs,” she says. “I find that if you’re enthusiastic and you’re friendly and like to have a good laugh, you shouldn’t have trouble getting them there.”

To overcome the challenge of creating programs for men, as well as getting them to attend activities, April Anderson, LEC at Burnbrae Gardens, now uses a book which she has found helpful.

The book, “Gentlemen’s Gatherings: Sensory Stimulators for Men’s Groups,” contains programming ideas and male-driven themes which Anderson says has worked well at the Campbellford long-term care home.

Some of the chapters included in the 44-page book are Automobile Activities, Workin’ on the Railroad and Checkers and Chess.

Anderson explains how the book works.

“For the Working on the Railroad (chapter), it explains how the railway started and the history of the railway,” she says. “So we do the history of the story and then we take time to talk about it and get them to reminisce.”

The one thing male residents do not seem to go for, says Denise Ansell, LEC at Streamway Villa in Cobourg, is structure. If you want to get men involved with programs and activities, Ansell suggests staff members ask men to participate an hour before a program starts, rather than suggest it well in advance.

There was recently a car show in Cobourg and staff organized an outing with the hope of getting men to participate. Rather than asking the guys in advance, staff waited until the last minute to see if they were interested in going.

As a result, there was a strong male turnout for the event.

“If you would have gone to them a week ago and said, ‘Do you want to go to a car show in a week?’ they would have probably said no,” says Ansell. “But if you say to them an hour before you go, ‘We’re going down to look at some cars, are you coming?’ they’re more likely to do it.”