When Artis Senior Living of Davie needed someone to lead a men’s group once a week, Heart2Heart knew just who to call.
Juan Ramos, 68, of Hollywood, is an expert in leading Bible study groups. It felt only natural for him to incorporate some Bible into the weekly meetings.
“I just am led by the Holy Spirit,” Juan said. “I don’t really write something down to go into it. I have my Bible with me of course, but the Holy Spirit leads me, and it turns into a mini Bible study.”
Each Friday morning, typically 4 or 5 men from the memory facility show up, eager for fellowship. The numbers vary. Sometimes it’s only 1 or as many as 8 men. They always start with a prayer and some scripture, and then usually they will move onto some other activity.
“We play games sometimes,” Juan said. “I have a dart game with magnets on the end. As we play, I talk about how it’s hard to hit the mark. It’s hard for us to meet God’s standards. But we don’t have to. Jesus did that for us.”
For a while, some of the men loved dominos, so they played dominos a lot. Sometimes the men want to continue to talk about the scripture of the day. That leads to a longer discussion.
A leader and peace of mind
The men who participate in the Friday group all have problems with their memory. Marlene Whittingham, Director of Life Enrichment at the center, said she isn’t always sure what the residents get out of the various activities. But she knows they enjoy having their women’s and men’s groups each Friday.
Not all the men are Christians, but they still come to the men’s group, Marlene said. There are a few Jewish men who participate, to listen to the teaching, for the games, or just to socialize.
“It gives them something – peace of mind, sometimes,” Marlene said. “It keeps them calm, having another leader talking to them. They recognize he’s a leader. It’s something for them to look forward to each week. They look for it on the schedule.”
Coming together and opening up
For each meeting, everyone sits in a circle so that everyone can see each other’s faces and facilitate conversation.
“Each week, they are interested and want to talk,” Juan said. “When they first arrived, they just sat there and didn’t say anything.”
After a while, the men started to open up.
“There’s much more conversation, and they talk a lot,” Juan said.
Marlene agreed. Before the group started, the men were all much more insular and stayed to themselves. Now they are more of a group and look forward to socializing.
“Communicating with someone from the outside is good, and they look every day for stimulation,” Marlene said. “The more stimulation, the longer they live. The longer the mind works, the more active they are.”
Artis Senior Living is always in need of more volunteers to help with the seniors – especially in leading crafts. The seniors love simple crafts that help keep their minds and motor skills active.
To volunteer with the center or at a care center close to you, become a Heart2Heart volunteer!
