Volunteers supporting men in aged care for Seniors Month

For almost a decade, the men of Bolton Clarke’s Cazna Gardens aged care home have been catching up once a week over a cuppa to build camaraderie and connection within the home. 

A group of volunteers from Circle of Men started visiting the Sunnybank Hills home in 2015 to further support the men with regular catch ups.

Cazna Gardens resident Edwin (Ted) says, like many other men, he was hesitant to join but has noticed an improvement in his own mental health since getting involved.

“It takes a lot of tension out of your mental system. Instead of saying ‘oh well bugger this, I’m not going to do this’, your whole mind changes and you start to think ‘oh, I can do this’ and ‘I’m not ashamed’,” Ted said.

“We talk and get to know one another and it’s such an eye opener to see how people can lock things away but then snap out of it and open up.”

Ted is now an honorary Lifetime Member of the Circle of Men, helping run sessions at Cazna Gardens and encouraging residents to join the weekly sessions.

“Being part of the conversations and talking in different ways has helped me learn that people do different things and live differently.

“We have had male university students who have joined us and they just can’t believe what we did when we were kids.”

October is Queensland Seniors Month, celebrating the ongoing contribution of older people to the state and aims to increase the social connectedness of older people and their communities.

Circle of Men volunteer Kevin says the casual group catch-ups allow residents to get to know their neighbours better.  

“Research shows older men living in aged care can experience feelings of isolation, loneliness and depression and often represent a smaller percentage of residents compared to female residents,” he said.

“For women there are many groups already established such as arts and crafts, but they don’t always interest the men.

“We now visit 17 homes across Brisbane and are calling for more male volunteers across the south Brisbane area including Sunnybank Hills to continue our vision for helping men in aged care.”