Does anyone have any ideas for a small group (4-6) senior men to enjoy? I don't know anything about men, so can't think of any activities.
A TV sports evening? Poker night? I think I saw a shuffle board court nearby. Not sure what that is about, but will check it out, altho with winter approaching that's not the best idea. I'd say darts, but would be afraid with bad vision and hearing that a person would get nailed with a dart.
thanks
cards ?
my dad is 71. he has regular poker nights (yes, for real $$) and goes to bridge at the local seniors' center. he also golfs in summer and curls in winter. he's a good pool player, kicks ass at trivial pursuit (provided that it's the 1980 version - hee!), and skis better than most people half his age. the last thing he'd be interested in is an evening out to watch TV (he does that all the time at home).
what is your old guy capable of?
you know, darts might not be such a bad idea. unless he's senile, i'm sure he knows better than to throw when someone's in front of him, and it requires standing up. shuffle board, too.
It appears to me that the women do fine on finding activities for themselves. It's just the men who don't seem to do much.
Booze?
That's what I'm going to want, if I make it to senior status.
Checkers and backgammon may be popular.
On the darts, they don't have to be the needle point type. They make them now with a little bit softer plastic tip, they stick by going into holes on the dart board. That's the kind we have, and even my daughter when she was four could get them to stick.
poker nights are really popular, texas hold-em, golf in nice weather. Board games are always fun, like trivial pursuit. Black Jack, checkers and backgammon, mahjong and bocce ball. Maybe the men can hook up with the women and do some square dancing or line dancing. My mom and dad are into that.
When my senior dad gets together with other men, he likes to eat sweets, drink coffee/tea and gossip. lol You know the usual;
"Supposed to rain all this week, not good haying weather"
and the ever popular
"You know Charlie? He was married to Martha's sister in law, lived up the road in the old Wilson place 30 years ago, yes, beside Ronnies. He died, saw it yesterday in the paper"
Anyways, when he's not talking about who's getting married, divorced, dying, or dead, he likes to play dominoes. And do puzzles. And do his taxes. Yes, year round he seems to work on his taxes!
Ooh, I can't wait to get old!! haha :D
Since most men seem to have only one topic to discuss, why not a weekly football or basketball party? Right now football dominates the networks every weekend. The only thing you'd have to do is make sure there's a large screen tv and some food and drink. It will be difficult to get them to eat anything but stuff they shouldn't have though.
Is there room for crafts that involve hammering? My dad used to build bluebird houses according to Audubon Society specs. The patterns are easy to find. He also built duck and owl houses sometimes.
He went to the trout hatchery every week and volunteered to feed the little fish that would grow up and be released in streams. He really enjoyed that.
If you can find a teacher, a fly fishing class might be fun and would encourage some exercise. The ladies could join in this one too, and encourage some socialization.
Original Post by queenmedia:
Anyways, when he's not talking about who's getting married, divorced, dying, or dead, he likes to play dominoes. And do puzzles. And do his taxes. Yes, year round he seems to work on his taxes!
Ooh, I can't wait to get old!! haha :D
My grandmother called news about who had a baby, who got married or divorced, and who died "hatched, matched and dispatched" She was sharp at age 90 and never boring. She could hold her own in any conversation and we loved having her around.
I'm already old, and I can tell you that if you keep your mind sharp, it's great! I don't have to go to work or pick up after anyone and I do exactly as I please all the time. So use your mind or you will lose it before it's time to enjoy life. And if you have qualms about getting old, consider the alternative.
I was just thinking I'd like a bird feeder outside my office window. So I love the idea of making birdhouses and will ahve to check into the cost and materials. There aren't power tools or much budget. I would have to hunt down some hand saws. Great idea.
I just now recalled how a neighbor man my dads age, would come to sit in the yard with my dad and he would bring 'gourds' that he made into bird houses. Yeah, they'd sit and talk about taxes, how the road in front was just fine back when it was a cinder road and what did they need pavement and sidewalks for.
alibsam: I'll definately check out small woodworking ideas.
gypsierose: I'll check out transportation to senior centers. I know I have one near where I live and the walking inside has a rubber floor, so its easier on knees and I love that idea. I'm saving some of these ideas so I don't use them all up at once then having nothing to talk about later :)
A speaker on 'fly fishing' sounds good. and it doens't mean that they need to fish or have the fishing equipment. Where do I start, to find a fly fishing speaker? Sporting Store or community college?
The activites I'm looking for are the non physical kind more to keep the mind active.
queenmedia: My dad loved the weatherman and was always quoating him, "well, Dick G. said..........." Now, this particular weatherman is getting old and not on much, but when I see him I have a special fondness for him.
clairlaine: ha. My MIL would start talking and go on and on about someone in town, going back to old history and she's be knitting as she talked. You could get up, leave the living room, go get a glass of tea, and she never paused or acted like you left the room.
Talking and conversing are two different things, aren't they. That's what I mean by keeping your own mind smart. Wouldn't you hate to end up with not a new thought in your head? It comes of too many years of repetitive living - same ol' same 'ol every day. They've let life grind them down. I live in a 62+ building, and meet so many people who are stuck in their pasts and have no understanding of the now. I'm sure some of them think I'm nuts because I can't stand Bingo and sewing ciicles and gossip sessions. I'd rather take my sketch book outside, or go to the library or an art gallery. Because my health is so poor, I have to spend a lot of time at home but I'm never bored.
Birdhouses - I think you can get precut parts. Call your local Audubon chapter and see if you can enlist a volunteer to cut the pieces and show how they are assembled. I was thinking that if hammering nails is a problem, somebody could come up with a system using screws. I do know the lid or the bottom has to be hinged to enable cleaning the box.
Fly fishing - I think a sporting goods store would be a good place to start asking about someone to talk about fly fishing. It could lead to other speakers on other sporting subjects.
My feeling is, avoid those stupid talks about "the good old days" and musical programs of old music. First of all, the good old days didn't exist, and second of all, it encourages people to be boring, further isolating them.
The dominoes idea is interesting. My kid says that's what the guys play in prison/jail. And then there's cribbage. If only one of them knows how to play either chess, dominoes, or cribbage, perhaps he could teach the others.
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