Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-fbnjt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-13T06:11:33.611Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Older Aboriginal men creating a therapeutic Men's Shed: an exploratory study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2019

Terrance Cox ,
Ha Hoang ,
Tony Barnett  and
Merylin Cross
Terrance Cox*
Affiliation:
Centre for Rural Health, School of Health Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Ha Hoang
Affiliation:
Centre for Rural Health, School of Health Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Tony Barnett
Affiliation:
Centre for Rural Health, School of Health Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Merylin Cross
Affiliation:
Centre for Rural Health, School of Health Sciences, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. Email: Terrance.Cox@utas.edu.au
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Men's Sheds are entrenched throughout Australian and international communities due to their popularity in attracting mainly older men to come together and undertake various social and workshop activities. A growing body of research has emerged where men associate regular Shed participation with improved social, emotional and physical wellbeing. However, few studies have examined Aboriginal men's engagement in Men's Sheds. This article reports on a study that investigated how a cohort of older Aboriginal men from one rural Tasmanian community consider the benefits of engaging in their local Shed. A community-based participatory research approach was developed in consultation with Aboriginal community leaders to ensure the study supported the community's expectations. Interview data from ten Aboriginal men combine to represent the Shed environment as an enabling therapeutic landscape, with key themes represented as domains of belonging, hope, mentoring and shared illness experiences. Shed activities were premised on these men co-creating an informal, culturally safe and male-friendly community environment to enjoy the company of other men. The created Shed environment was mutually beneficial as the participants reported improved wellbeing despite living with the effects of declining health and ageing. The findings inform Aboriginal communities and health-care stakeholders to consider the unique role of Men's Sheds for enhancing the health of an ageing male population.

Keywords

Aboriginal healthMen's Shedsageingtherapeutic landscape
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 40 , Issue 7 , July 2020 , pp. 1455 - 1468
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abbato, S (2014) Your Shed and Dementia: A Manual. Sydney, Australia: Australian Men's Shed Association and Alzheimer's Australia.Google Scholar
Ang, S, Cavanagh, J, Southcombe, A, Bartram, T, Marjoribanks, T and McNeil, N (2015) Human resource management, social connectedness and health and well-being of older and retired men: the role of Men's Sheds. International Journal of Human Resource Management 1, 1–32.Google Scholar
Australian Bureau of Statistics (2016) Circular Head Census. Available at http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2016/quickstat/LGA61210.Google Scholar
Australian Institute of Health & Welfare (AIHW) (2015) The Health and Welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Available at http://www.aihw.gov.au/publication-detail/?id=60129550168.Google Scholar
Australian Institute of Health & Welfare (AIHW) (2017) Trends in Indigenous Mortality and Life Expectancy 2001–2015: Evidence from the Enhanced Mortality Database (Cat. No. IHW 174). Available at http://www.aihw.gov.au.Google Scholar
Australian Men's Shed Association (AMSA) (2015) Indigenous Men in Men's Sheds Manual. Available at http://www.mensshed.org.Google Scholar
Australian Men's Shed Association (AMSA) (2017) AMSA National Health Policy. Available at http://www.mensshed.org.Google Scholar
Bell, S, Foley, R, Houghton, F, Maddrell, A and Williams, A (2018) From therapeutic landscapes to healthy spaces, places and practices: a scoping review. Social Science and Medicine 196, 123–130.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bessarab, D and Ng'andu, B (2010) Yarning about yarning as a legitimate method in Indigenous research. International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies 3, 37–50.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bignante, E (2015) Therapeutic landscapes of traditional healing: building spaces of well-being with the traditional healer in St Louis, Senegal. Social & Cultural Geography 16, 698–713.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Broome, R (2002) Aboriginal Australians: Black Responses to White Dominance 1788–2001. Crows Nest, Australia: Allen and Unwin.Google Scholar
Bulman, J and Hayes, R (2011) Mibbindah and spirit healing: fostering safe, friendly spaces for Indigenous males. International Journal of Men's Health 10, 6–25.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cavanagh, J, Shaw, A and Bartram, T (2016) An investigation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men's learning through Men's Sheds in Australia. Australian Aboriginal Studies 1, 55–67.Google Scholar
Cavanagh, J, Southcombe, A and Bartram, T (2014) The role of collaborative learning on training and development practices within the Australian Men's Shed movement: a study of five Men's Sheds. Journal of Vocational Education & Training 66, 365–385.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Charmaz, K (2006) Constructing Grounded Theory: A Practical Guide Through Qualitative Analysis. London: Sage.Google Scholar
Cordier, R, Wilson, N, Stancliffe, R, MacCallum, J, Vas, S, Buchanan, A, Ciccarelli, M and Falkmer, T (2016) Formal intergenerational mentoring at Australian Men's Sheds: a targeted survey about mentees, mentors, programs and quality. Health and Social Care in the Community 24, 131–143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cox, T (2006) Boots and a Billycan: Tasmanian Aboriginal Oral Histories. Smithton, Australia: Circular Head Aboriginal Corporation.Google Scholar
Department of Health & Ageing (2010 a) National Male Health Policy: Building on the Strengths of Australian Males. Canberra: Australian Government.Google Scholar
Department of Health & Ageing (2010 b) National Male Health Policy Supporting Document: National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Male Health Framework Revised Guiding Principles. Canberra: Australian Government.Google Scholar
Dudgeon, P, Kelly, K and Walker, R (2010) Closing the gaps in and through Indigenous health research: guidelines, processes and practices. Australian Aboriginal Studies 2, 81–91.Google Scholar
English, J, Wilson, K and Keller-Olaman, S (2008) Health, healing and recovery: therapeutic landscapes and the everyday lives of breast cancer survivors. Social Science and Medicine 67, 68–78.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Flood, P and Blair, S (2013) Men's Shed's in Australia: Effects on Physical Health and Mental Well-being. Full Report. Available at http://www.beyondblue.com.au.Google Scholar
Ford, S, Scholz, B and Lu, V (2015) Social shedding: identification and health of Men's Shed users. Health Psychology 34, 775–778.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gesler, W (1992) Therapeutic landscapes: medical issues in light of new cultural geography. Social Science and Medicine 34, 735–746.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Golding, B (2015) The Men's Shed Movement: The Company of Men. Champaign, Illinois: Common Ground Publishing.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hampton, R and Toombs, M (2013) Indigenous Australians and Health: The Wombat in the Room. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Hansji, N, Wilson, N and Cordier, R (2015) Men's Sheds: enabling environments for Australian men living with and without long-term disabilities. Health & Social Care in the Community 23, 272–281.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kendall, E, Sunderland, N, Barnett, L, Nalder, G and Matthews, C (2011) Beyond the rhetoric of participatory research in Indigenous Communities: advances over the last decade. Qualitative Health Research 21, 1719–1728.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mackenzie, C, Roger, K, Robertson, S, Oliffe, J, Nurmi, M and Urquhart, J (2017) Counter and complicit masculine discourse among Men's Shed members. American Journal of Men's Health 11, 1224–1236.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marsh, P, Gartell, G, Egg, G, Nolan, A and Cross, M (2017) End of life care in a community garden: findings from a participatory action research project in regional Australia. Health and Place 45, 110–116.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McCabe, M, Mellor, D, Ricciardelli, L, Mussap, A and Hallford, D (2016) Ecological model of Australian Indigenous men's health. American Journal of Men's Health 10, 63–70.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCalman, J, Tsey, K, Wenitong, M, Wilson, A, McEwan, A, Cadet James, Y and Whiteside, M (2010) Indigenous men's support groups and social and emotional well-being: a meta-synthesis of the evidence. Australian Journal of Primary Health 16, 159–166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milligan, C, Payne, S, Bingley, A and Cockshot, Z (2015) Place and well-being: shedding light on activity intervention for older men. Ageing & Society 35, 124–149.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Misan, G, Haren, M and Ledo, V (2008) Men's Shed's: A Strategy to Improve Men's Health. Adelaide: Centre for Rural Health, University of Adelaide.Google Scholar
Moylan, M, Carey, L, Blackburn, R, Hayes, R and Robinson, P (2015) The Men's Shed: providing biopsychosocial and spiritual support. Journal of Religion & Health 54, 221–234.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Munns, A, Toye, C, Hegney, D, Kickett, M, Marriot, R and Walker, R (2017) Peer-led Aboriginal parent support: program development for vulnerable populations with participatory action research. Contemporary Nurse 53, 558–575.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nurmi, M, Mackenzie, C, Roer, K, Reynolds, K and Urquhart, J (2018) Older men's perceptions of the need for and access to male-focused community programmes such as Men's Sheds. Ageing & Society 38, 794–816.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ormsby, J, Stanley, M and Jaworski, K (2010) Older men's participation in community-based Men's Shed programmes. Health and Social Care in the Community 18, 607–613.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ricciardelli, L, Mellor, D, McCabe, M, Mussap, A, Hallford, D and Tyler, M (2012) Promoting fit bodies, healthy eating and physical activity among Indigenous Australian men: a study protocol. BMC Public Health 12, 1–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Smith, J (2016) Australia's Rural, Remote and Indigenous Health. Chatswood, Australia: Elsevier Australia.Google Scholar
Southcombe, A, Cavanagh, J and Bartram, T (2014) Capacity building in Indigenous men's groups and Sheds across Australia. Health Promotion International 30, 1–10.Google ScholarPubMed
Southcombe, A, Cavanagh, J and Bartram, T (2015) Retired men and Men's Sheds in Australia. Leadership & Organizational Development Journal 36, 972–989.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, J, Cole, R, Kynn, M and Lowe, J (2017) Home away from home: health and well-being benefits of Men's Sheds. Health Promotion Journal of Australia 29, 236–242.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tsey, K, Chigeza, P, Holden, C, Bulman, J, Gruis, H and Wenitong, M (2014) Evaluation of the pilot phase of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander male health module. Australian Journal of Primary Health 20, 56–61.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Waling, A and Fildes, D (2017) Don't fix what ain't broke: evaluating the effectiveness of a Men's Shed in inner-regional Australia. Health & Social Care in the Community 25, 758–768.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Walker, M, Fredericks, B, Mills, K and Anderson, D (2014) Yarning as a method for community-based health research with Indigenous Women: the Indigenous women's wellness research program. Health Care for Women International 35, 1216–1226.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williams, A (2010) Spiritual therapeutic landscapes and healing: a case study of St. Anne de Beaupre, Quebec, Canada. Social Science & Medicine 70, 1633–1640.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, K (2003) Therapeutic landscapes and First Nations peoples: an exploration of culture, health and place. Health and Place 9, 83–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, N and Cordier, R (2013) A narrative review of Men's Sheds literature: reducing social isolation and promoting men's health and well-being. Health & Social Care in the Community 21, 451–463.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilson, N, Cordier, R, Doma, K, Misan, G and Vas, S (2015) Men's Sheds function and philosophy: towards a framework for future research and men's health promotion. Health Promotion Journal of Australia 26, 133–141.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Winchester, M and McGrath, J (2017) Therapeutic landscapes: anthropological perspectives on health and place. Medicine Anthropology Theory 4, i–x.Google Scholar