Almost a year ago we started a men’s club at our program because our male enrollment increased quite significantly. I can’t say I have definitive proof, but I do believe having a male on the activity staff (me!) helped attract families looking after their husband and fathers.
Anyways, this meant I had to look into what kind of activities our men’s club would be interested in. At first, I think I was trying too hard. I spent more than a couple hours scouring the internet for a great idea or two, but I ended up pretty much where I started. So I got to thinking, what was it that these guys would do for fun before their dementia set in?
One morning, I decided we were going to try Blackjack. I was a little skeptical at the time, I mean these men had trouble telling time and would reach for words they couldn’t remember. But, I figured if we never tried, we’d never really know, and if they couldn’t really play we’d at least have fun trying.
We had an old green mat that said “Blackjack” on it and was pretty official looking. I also found some poker chips, you know the ones with the checkered outline on them. I set the table up like you’d find at a casino and had the guys gather around.
I explained the basic premise of the game, to get as close to 21 as possible without going over, and getting a better score than the dealer. I started each hand by saying very genuinely, “The house wishes each of you gentlemen the very best of luck.” I kept talking in this official persona througout the hand saying, “The gentlemen in the black has a King on top,” or “He chooses to hit with eleven showing,” just to keep the effect of a real casino going in our minds. One of the gentlemen really enjoyed my persona and would tell the other guys, “He’s talking like a real dealer,” and chuckle under his breath!
I have to admit, I was caught off-guard by the level of play of our gentlemen. Every single one of them knew almost instinctively how the game was played and needed very little direction. I really underestimated their ability. It made me wonder if we should stop inventing games and activities our clients have never seen before, and stick to things that are or closely resemble the things they’ve always enjoyed doing.
Also, I realized, playing blackjack is a dignified activity. The men have the opportunity to make choices for themselves. Do they want to hit, or stand? How many chips would they like to bet on each hand? They get the ability to revel in victory and know that they did it on their own! I feel that some of the cognitive games that we do with the dementia population can be almost degrading to participate in, because they’re too dumbed-down or so foreign to their experience that they have trouble succeeding.
Be on the lookout for activities that build up your residents or members. There’s nothing better than a dignified activity, especially for a group of men who realize they are not the breadwinners anymore, not the head of the household anymore, and have trouble feeling like someone has to take care of them.
- Justin Zarb, ADPC
