Abstract
Serious leisure has the opportunity to advance successful aging in the community through a variety of health outcomes. This poster will empower practitioners to reevaluate the benefits of serious leisure in community-based settings for older adults.
Primary Author and Speaker: Devyn Elise Carder
Contributing Authors: Susan Maloney
The relationship between health-based fitness programs and the effect of aging on the individual has been extensively researched in the literature regarding various benefits related to physicality, social well-being, psychosocial needs, and mental health. However, many older adults still do not engage in adequate amounts of physical leisure occupations due to numerous perceived barriers. This qualitative study sought to understand the lived experiences of and motivators for community-dwelling older adults who regularly attended a Silver Sneakers fitness program. It was framed within the lens of the Serious Leisure Perspective in order to gain further information about the benefits of such long-term participation. IRB approval was secured. All participants participated in semi-structured in-person individual interviews and completed a demographic form and a standardized assessment tool. The nine participants (eight females, one male), were 65 or older and attended Silver Sneakers regularly. Utilizing an Interpretive Phenomenology Approach, participants were encouraged to recall, reflect upon, and elaborate on their involvement in Silver Sneakers. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and disseminated to three analysts who individually and collectively considered the data. Five key themes emerged: the value of functional ability, social support through a universal community, self-satisfaction through leisure, physical health benefits, and improved mental health. The findings indicate serious involvement in health-based fitness programs may provide older adults with various wellness-related benefits such as improved functional ability, independence, increased social support, self-satisfaction, improved physical capacity, and emotional outcomes. OTPs might facilitate participation in older adult exercise programs as a strategy to enhance their clients’ lives in numerous ways including improving physicality, social interaction, cognition, and psychosocial factors.
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