How to Engage Male Residents in Assisted Living (Without Sports Trivia Nights)

Many activities calendars unintentionally skew toward female participation. This leaves male residents under-engaged — not because they don’t want to participate, but because the activities don’t resonate.

The good news: engaging men doesn’t require elaborate events or competitive trivia nights.

Why traditional activities miss the mark

Many male residents:

Prefer observation before participation
Enjoy shared experiences more than crafts
Are less interested in competitive or “quiz-style” activities
Respond better to familiar cultural touchstones

What works better than trivia

Instead of testing memory, try prompting memory.

Programs that focus on:

Familiar sounds (radio voices, crowd noise)
Cultural moments from their teens and early adulthood
Storytelling rather than answering questions

These approaches remove pressure and increase comfort.

The power of shared experiences

Group experiences centered on:

Sports history
Radio-era entertainment
News and cultural events

often spark organic conversation among men who otherwise sit quietly during activities.

Why baseball (and similar themes) work

Baseball isn’t just a sport — it’s a shared language for many men. Even residents who don’t consider themselves “sports fans” often remember:

Listening to games on the radio
Favorite teams or players
Attending games with family

These memories are social, emotional, and deeply rooted.

A simple shift with big impact

By focusing on familiar experiences instead of performance-based activities, communities often see:

Increased male attendance
Longer engagement periods
More peer-to-peer interaction

Engaging male residents doesn’t require reinvention — just reframing.