Loneliness and Isolation Are the Enemies; Community and Connection Are the Antidotes

Every day 10,000 people turn 65 in the US, and look for new ways to spend their time in retirement. Many join senior centers, faith-based groups, and older-adult education sites looking for friendship, stimulation, and a new place where they can be comfortable and valued.

Discussion groups are a popular activity, from current events to support groups for chronic illnesses, people like to talk. They especially like to talk about issues around aging, from where to live to how to get through a bleak midwinter without getting the blues.

The authors, Patricia Beynen and Doris Grubin, have led discussion groups for older adults in Philadelphia for eleven years. They’ve heard the stories, encouraged the quiet, given everyone a turn, and finished the hour with new insights all around. After writing the first book, “Fifty Great Topics for Older Adult Discussion Groups” they’ve had requests for more, and this book provides that ‘more’.

“Fifty Great Skits for Older Adult Discussion Groups” will keep a once-a-week group going for a year, just as the first book has done around the US and in Canada, the UK, Australia, India, and Japan. The book is available in Paperback and Kindle editions.

Filled with skits, characters, discussion questions, and how-to-lead-a-group advice, “50 Great Skits for Older Adult Discussion Groups” will bring a satisfying hour. Discover the techniques for bringing discussion groups and classes together with short skits. Some leaders have also used these discussion groups for new English learners as conversation practice.

Skits can be fun for everyone. You read a few lines, you hear a few points of view, you get a little background, and boom, you have a point of view yourself. Each skit is followed by questions to guide the discussion and pull out some of the stories of the participants.

This book teaches you how to run the group, keep the talk going, and leave everyone feeling good.

Contact Information

Patrici Beynen

Author

Patricia Beynen

patricia.beynen@gmail.com