Men living at Andrews Senior Care homes have a new outlet for socializing – a monthly men’s group.
The idea for the group was initiated by Andrews of Stratford activity director Sharon Woods-Bryenton, who saw a need for more social opportunities for the men at her home.
“The population is heavily female at senior’s homes,” she said. “We always have a good turnout of men at our activities but I thought it would be nice to have a time just for them to get together and talk about sort of men’s stuff.”
According to research, including a 2018 study published by the National Institutes of Health, male seniors are at a particularly high risk of experiencing loneliness and are often less likely to engage socially than women.
“Some of them were living alone (before moving to Andrews) and this is a way for them to connect and make friends,” she said. “If you go into a Tim Hortons or a McDonald’s early in the morning, you’ll often see a group of men, five to six, sitting around and there’s this comradery and I thought that would be nice to start for our men at Andrews of Stratford.”
The group, led by Nathan Rochford, content manager and Andrews’ story-teller, started in January 2023. The first meeting had about four residents but now averages more than 12 participants. Each meeting residents are encouraged to talk about their lives, their careers, their families while enjoying coffee, tea and a sweet treat. Often, the group will try a board game or cards, something simple that they can play while carrying on a conversation.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” said Nathan. “I love hearing their stories. They’ve led such interesting lives. We have guys who grew up during the Blitz in London, former farmers and teachers. One guy’s father was an old-school cowboy in the mid-west in the 1920s. It’s amazing what you can learn just chatting.”
Michael Morrison, whose parents Ivan and Anita live at Andrews of Stratford, is a regular at the men’s group.
“I always call it the meeting of the generations because I’m so young and I get to hear what life was like for a lot of these residents,” he said. “It’s a living history lesson for me.”
The response from the residents has been positive as well.
“We had a few men move in recently and when I tell them there’s one morning that’s just for the men’s club their eyes light up,” said Sharon.
She added, some residents would like to see the men’s group expand.
“I have some that ask for it more than once a month, so that might be something we look at doing eventually,” she said. “I think it could grow, too. I think it could grow to some outings together, maybe some sporting events, movies, we could go fishing. I think whatever we find that they have in common or would enjoy doing, I think we could grow the program for sure.”
Currently, there are men’s groups at all five Andrews Senior Care homes. Charlottetown, Park West and Stratford are led by Nathan and meet monthly, while Summerside hosts a regular men’s breakfast.
