The Meaning of Leisure for Older Adults Living with Vision Loss

Engaging in leisure activities is related to successful aging. Because there are an increasing number of older adults living with vision loss, many of whom struggle to engage in leisure, the aim of this study was to understand the meaning behind leisure activities for older adults who are living wit...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inOTJR (Thorofare, N.J.) Vol. 31; no. 4; pp. 193 - 199
Main Author Berger, Sue
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.10.2011
SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
Subjects
Acuity
Adults
Aging
Blindness
Leisure
Lifelong Learning
Occupations
Older people
Recreation
Research Methodology
Vision
Visual Acuity
participation
activity
visual impairment
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Summary:Engaging in leisure activities is related to successful aging. Because there are an increasing number of older adults living with vision loss, many of whom struggle to engage in leisure, the aim of this study was to understand the meaning behind leisure activities for older adults who are living with vision loss. Twenty-six individuals with a visual acuity of 20/70 or worse participated in semi-structured interviews and allowed for the observation of engagement in a leisure activity of choice. Three themes regarding leisure and vision loss emerged: a shift in relationships, the influence of vision loss on time use, and achieving meaning through leisure as an important outcome. Discussion focused on implications for practice, emphasizing a need to understand the meaning of an activity to achieve leisure participation outcomes, and the importance of finding ways to enable older adults with vision loss to engage in leisure occupations.
ISSN:1539-4492
1938-2383
DOI:10.3928/15394492-20101222-01