The Elderly and Free Time Activities: A Case Study

Jacqueline Marques , Jacqueline Marques and Mónica Teixeira
Universidade Lusófona De Lisboa

Abstract

There are an increasing number of studies on the ageing population, with the aim of finding strategies for this phase of the life cycle to be lived with quality. The practice and development of leisure activities is an important factor, since it contributes to a better state of mind and may be, in the case of the elderly, a strategy to mitigate the effects resulting from the aging process. Despite this, and according to some studies, the elderly does not give leisure a great importance in their lives, often due to their life history which did not provide them with conditions and opportunities to develop these activities. Even for elderly people who have no leisure time habits, when they reach a certain age these activities can become a structural element of their daily lives. In addition, institutions for the elderly seek to encourage and promote leisure-time activities, which is often a real challenge due to low motivation and participation. Thus, we believe that, at present, this is one of the fundamental study themes to better understand the "will" and perception that older people have of leisure time activities and, thus, find a strategy to involve and stimulate them to participate in them. Thus, this study aims to find out what type and intensity of leisure time activities the elderly performs and whether these activities contribute to improving their quality of life, as well as the impact of the pandemic on the performance of these activities. We will also seek to understand the possible relationship between the development of leisure time activities and age, gender, education, and profession. The research, descriptive in nature, has a practice-oriented perspective, with the aim of improving practice by acquiring knowledge about that practice. We used a questionnaire as a data collection instrument, divided into four parts: the first one involves a set of sociodemographic data; the second one, based on the "Leisure Activities Index" by Rosa Martins (2016), includes a set of nine questions (reading, watching TV, listening to music, walking, gardening, horticulture, knitting, playing cards, and chatting with friends). Each one has 5 alternative answers, ranging from very little, little, neither very nor little, quite a lot, and a lot; The third part integrates a question to understand the perception that older people have of the impact of leisure time activities on their well-being and; finally, the fourth part aggregates a set of four questions on the impact of the pandemic on the performance of leisure time activities. The non-probability and convenience sample included 33 older people attending a Day Care Centre and a Home Support Service in central Portugal. They had to be aged 65 years or older, be able to collaborate in the interview and accept and sign the informed consent. We hope that this study will contribute to a deeper understanding of the leisure time practices of the elderly and to a reflection on the ways and strategies of motivation to participate in them.

Presentation