Shedding Loneliness One Project at a Time

Philip Jackson (left) stands with one of his friends.
Credit: The Barnsley Men’s Shed

While loneliness and depression among the elderly are nothing new, there’s a growing movement seeking to combat that, especially among elderly men.

What does it involve? 

Sheds.

Informal men’s sheds have been around for several decades, but the Australian Men’s Shed Association or AMSA, founded in 2007, seeks to “provide support through the sharing of information to develop the Men’s Shed concept as a means of preventing social isolation amongst older Australian males.”

Funded by grants from the government, more than 1,200 independent community-based sheds now exist in Australia. AMSA provides places where older men can meet and bond while working on various projects. As the website claims, “Men don’t talk face to face, they talk shoulder to shoulder.” 

In any given shed, men can work on woodworking or household repair projects, with some sheds even hosting classes and workshops. More importantly, these sheds are places where older men can just hang out and enjoy each other’s company. 

Senior men have few opportunities to socialize. Sheds provide them with one.
Credit: World Bank Photo Collection

“It’s like the shed at the bottom of your garden,” says Philip Jackson, a 78-year-old shedder who was recently profiled in The Guardian “but all your friends are there. It’s a break from people’s weekly routines. It gets them out and talking to similar people.”

Sheds also have spaces and events for women (a.k.a. “SheSheds”), so it’s not strictly a boy’s club. While it attracts older men, there doesn’t seem to be an age limit. 

Having helped more than 50,000 men in Australia, the Shed Movement has grown to at least 12 other countries, including a Men’s Shed Association in the United Kingdom and a Men’s Shed Association in the United States. 

As Sandra Potesta, a social enterprise director and Jackson’s partner notes, “The Shed has become a brotherhood and a sisterhood, where many people have found solace and respite from the many anxieties that are impacting on their life.”

If you’d like to get a sense of  Men’s Shed-style camaraderie, check out  the video from the Australian Men’s Shed Association below.