PARC Volunteer Of The Month
Hesh Reinfeld: PARC Volunteer Of The Month
Hesh Reinfeld is a business humor columnist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and he has discovered that there is a special segment of the population that is often forgotten in senior living communities and nursing homes. Hesh believes that the forgotten group is men, especially when it comes to the frail elderly. He has become an advocate for men in senior settings. Men are often overshadowed by women in elderly housing communities, simply because of their sheer numbers- roughly 75 % of occupants living in these facilities are women. Hesh makes a difference in his community by running discussion groups for men at Riverview Towers, an independent living facility in Pittsburgh. He aims to replicate the "back table" at the local diner where men used to gather to shoot the breeze and discuss current events. The topics discussed are not the focus-the real aim is to give men the chance to spend time together.
According to Hesh, "when men age they become the minority in senior living residences. We need to have a plan to respond to their interests".
To read an article about Hesh's work, visit the Post Gazette: "Senior Lifestyles: Men in retirement facilities, often outnumbered by women, bond in conversation groups"
