I belong to a senior center in eastern Queens that holds discussion groups for older adults. Some months ago I attended on meeting on Wednesday mornings that was publicized as a singles group. This group was comprised of about 80% of women, likely to be widowed or divorced. After several weeks I gave up on it as I was just hearing other people's small talk. I attended another group on Mondays to discuss current events. This group was a little better as the topics were more substantial,
I suggested to the manager of this center that an all-men's discussion group be established. They followed through with my idea and started a group on Friday mornings. Since it is raining this morning, I am not motivated to drive over there.
There is a social worker for each group who is meant to be a moderator. In all three groups, it is inevitable that a few people dominate the conversation making it difficult to get a word in edgewise. This has greatly frustrated me as I usually leave the session unhappy. I wish the respective social worker would take charge and make sure that everyone has a chance to speak.
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