Lynn firefighters on call for fun

LYNN – Lynn Fire Captain Joe Zukas joked that there was no reason for worry during a recent visit with some of the male residents of the Abbott House nursing home.?There?s no fire today. This is a fun call,” he said during a recent visit to the nursing home on Essex Street.The visit marked the first session of Abbott House?s new men?s group, where a Lynn firefighter comes to the nursing home once a week to spend an hour with the male residents.Melissa McGrail, assistant director of nursing at Abbott House, said the nursing home was looking for ways to partner with the community, but also to have a dedicated activity just for the men.?Women outnumber men about 10 to one in the long-term care setting, so that a lot of times, activities or entertainment is based a lot around them. So we thought it would be good for (the men) to have a special group,” she said.Abbott House has 55 residents, McGrail said, eight of whom are men. Five of the male residents came to the meeting.Laurie Casale, director of nursing and associate administrator at Abbott House, said the men?s group was also put in place to combat any loneliness or isolation that can be common among the elderly.?It increases the quality of life of the patients dramatically when they have this sliver of time all about them,” she said.The partnership with the Lynn firefighters also came about, McGrail said, because Casale?s brother, Rick Seaman, is a Lynn firefighter. Lynn Fire Chief Dennis Carmody said the partnership is another way the firefighters can help out in the community.?It?s good for the residents. It?s good for our men,” he said. “It?s the cycle of life. We?ll all be there one day, if you know what I mean.”Casale said that firefighter Dennis Hollow will volunteer for a session this week, and firefighter Jerry Murano and Captain Bob Alcock have committed to a session in the future.Zukas, a lifelong Lynn resident, came to meet the men on his lunch break last Thursday.Zukas said he had various jobs in nursing homes as a teenager, and as the emergency medical services director for the city overseeing all ambulances, he is familiar with nursing homes. In addition, he said he has an appreciation for the elderly because his father is 92.Activities during the session are left up to the firefighter and the residents, Casale said. Thursday?s meeting featured two checkers games, with Zukas playing residents Leo Cotter and Alejo Trinidad.?Don?t beat me up too much,” Zukas said to Cotter as they started their game.Zukas also talked with the men about where they were from and what they did for a living.Casale said that as the sessions become regular, she anticipates a camaraderie developing between the male residents and the firefighters.?I think it?ll morph into something bigger,” she said.After the session concluded, Zukas checked in briefly with Casale, who told him that the residents enjoyed themselves, even if they did not make it wholly apparent.?You don?t even know,” she said. “They?ll be talking about that checkers game for the next week.”Sarah Mupo can be reached at [email protected].