Successful Leisure in Independent Living Communities

Abstract

Leisure activities are a source of meaning and enjoyment for individuals across the lifespan. In this study, we conducted interviews with twenty-four older adults living in four different independent living communities. We present societal and ecological factors and motivations that influenced the way people participated in and decided what constitutes leisure activities. The goal of maintaining physical and cognitive health was often intertwined with motivations to engage in leisure activities. We discuss how this fits into the broader framework of successful aging and implications for technology design. We also provide an example of how findings from this study can be applied to a specific leisure activity: watching television.

Never Stop Creating

“…Hobbies and personal interests are an important part of active aging [e.g., 4,14,17,21,25]. Older adults are found to perceive hobbies and interests as a necessary aspect of good health [26].…”

“…Greater devotion to personal interests is also reported to be associated with higher satisfaction with regards to health and well-being [12]. In addition, a handful of research has explored personal interests and active aging through the lens of social well-being [14,23,32]. Rosner et al found that older adults with similar interests would gather together to participate in hobbies, such as knitting [23].…”

“…In line with the active approach, our study aims at understanding active aging through the lens of personal interest development. Previous research suggests that when older adults engage in activities related to their hobbies and interests, these activities can enhance their well-being [14,23,32]. In this paper, we further investigate the development and maintenance of interest-related activities in the aging process, discussing how those activities and the products of those activities may play an important role in active and healthy aging.…”

“…In contrast, the other approach views older adults as active and able participants in the promotion of their own health and wellbeing [e.g., 6,31]. In this approach, researchers aim at understanding the active aspects of aging, such as socializing [e.g., 32,34], playing games [14], volunteering [6], sharing information [18], and exercising [20], in order to design technology to facilitate older adults to live a quality life. By focusing on older adults' strengths and the positive experiences in their lives, this approach can broaden the realm of design opportunities that can contribute to aging well [6].…”

“…For example, many assisted living communities provide a variety of social activities based on their residents' interests, e.g., art class, photography club, etc. Those activities are successful in promoting older adults' health and well-being through engagement in social life [14].…”