Kaye quoted in BDN article on Father’s Day gifts for older adults
Len Kaye, director of the University of Maine Center on Aging and professor in the UMaine School of Social Work, spoke with the Bangor Daily News for the article, “What not to buy your baby boomer dad, or his dad, for Father’s Day.” According to Kaye, the delayed federal designation of Father’s Day, along with the predictable lineup of “manly” gift options that retailers tout, reflects a larger, often dismissive, societal attitude. “Men aren’t just big, bruising, macho tough-guys,” he said. “More than 40 percent of caregivers in this country are men — husbands, sons, nephews and grandsons — caring for a family member. It’s important that we honor them and allow them to do it. But when men take that step and perform functions more typical to women, they almost get made fun of.” Kaye said for Father’s Day family members should consider ways to support men’s continued growth and maturity. “The fact is that, like women, men discover unknown talents and interests as they age,” he said. “They get more comfortable in their own skin. It can really be a time of transformation.”