Mental health and wellbeing is equally as important as physical health. So much so that men across Uniting AgeWell services – both residential and home care - are supported to be proactive to create social connections to ensure they remain positive and happy.
Like retired building insurance assessor John Connell, who has Alzheimer’s disease and attends the social connection group at Forest Hill AgeWell Centre. “The best thing about coming here is all the friends I have made,” says John. “The meals are pretty good too.”
His wife, Julia says, “I drop him off and he has a wonderful time. He seems to have found a new energy! He always comes home and says what fun he had, even though he can’t remember what he did.”
Research shows that as you age, life can throw you a curve ball. Older people’s mental wellbeing can be affected by age-related changes including a loss of independence (like restriction on driving or needing personal or domestic help); grieving the loss of loved ones; changing work commitments and transitioning to retirement; social isolation; relationship difficulties; financial difficulties; cognitive loss; change of living arrangements and more.
This is mirrored in Uniting AgeWell’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Framework which outlines the approach and measures we are taking to support the mental health and wellbeing of not only the older people in our care, but also our staff.
There are numerous ways social connections makes a difference and improves mental health. Men across our residential aged care communities also enjoy spending time together at their various Men’s Groups. They often go on outings including pub lunches or spend the day fishing, sometimes they play pool or just sit around over a cuppa and chat. Whichever way they choose, it’s blokes hanging out together and having fun.
One person who has a deep insight into this is retired social worker and Uniting AgeWell volunteer Ken Rosenhain. The Ringwood resident volunteers with the Social Connections Program where he takes a group of older men to lunch every fortnight.
Ken says the men he connects with are all single, with some of them widowed and many aged 70 years or more. His experience is that men can be reluctant to open up to how they are really feeling. “Some of them can be really lonely when they find themselves single again after all these years,” Ken explains. “They think they will cope, but some of them don’t. They’re really isolated.”