How Does Leisure Activity Effect the Elderly - Research Paper Example

How Does Leisure Activity Effect the Elderly of Affiliation: How Does Leisure Activity Effect the Elderly IntroductionLeading well and healthy life is the desire of everyone, both the young and the elderly. In an urge to lead a well and healthy lives, individuals have engaged in various activities attributed towards ensuring that their objectives are met. Some of the activities that people have engaged in include eating of well-balanced healthy foods and getting involved in various physical activities, all aligned towards attaining a healthy life. Despite the fact that activities such as exercise are done for the good purpose, it has emerged that there are numerous effects associated with the activities. Based on this perspective, this paper discusses the effects associated with leisure activity in the elderly towards attaining a better health. Life after retirement is one usually faced with numerous challenges. Ideally, retirement in itself is a time in life that contributes to different changes in the lifestyles that individuals lead. Retirement and period transition to retirement is a period when the individuals have less activity to perform and, therefore, have lots of time for leisure. However, based on the aspect that the elderly want to live healthy lives, the elderly, therefore, get involved in various physical activities most especially during their leisure time to maintain the quality of their lifestyles (Ting, Chan, and Cheung, 2009). In spite of the successes realized in leisure activities for the elderly in the past, current situations have indicated that leisure activities for the elderly evidently have more health effects than anticipated. It is always encouraged that the elderly should engage in different leisure activities mostly during the period after retirement. Continuous engagement in leisure physical activity is a very important part of life for the elderly (Haight, 2005). Studies have shown that the humans are associated with numerous illnesses as they age. Based on this aspect, it has been advised, therefore, that the older individuals need to engage in continuous physical activity during their leisure times, which they usually have in abundance. This reduces the risks associated with the illnesses such as chronic diseases and reduced functioning of various body organs, aspects contributing to poor life qualities. Regardless of many elderly individuals having the desire to take part in the physical activities, studies have shown that just a handful of them actually reach the minimum requirements for an effective leisure exercise activity recommended for a healthy life. This has been attributed to a decline in physical activity among aging individual, making it very difficult to engage in such activities during their leisure time post retirement. Fur most significant aspects towards leading a healthy life mostly among the elderly include physical activity, nutritional status, and cognitive and social stimulation (Haight, 2005). The latest statistics show ideally that physical inactivity is considered the fourth leading risk factor contributing to approximately 6% of the annual global deaths (Maddox, 1995). This points out clearly the significance of the above named four factors, physical activity, nutritional status, and cognitive and social stimulation. Additionally, lack of engagement in physical activities during leisure time contributes to loss of muscle mass, resulting to muscle weakness, enhancing the chances of development of chronic diseases. Leisure activity is significantly affected by increase in age. In the field of occupational therapy, there is a correlation between the leisure activity and depression. In youthful stages, individuals tend to get company from the many friends that they usually have company, which caters for the depression aspect that such individuals tend to experience. However, as one ages, the available company reduces thereby enhancing the chances of stress and depressions (Ting, Chan, and Cheung, 2009). This is based on the perspective that an individual has to provide all the solutions to all problems that arise and hence increasing the chances of depression. Occupational therapy has it that there is substantive reduction of depression in individual who engage in leisure activity as compared to those that never engage in leisure activity. Through leisure activity, the elderly are able to engage their minds fully in activities thereby reducing the chances of depression. Leisure activity also enhances brain activity, a factor that enables the body to increase in its functionality. Enhanced brain activity through leisure activity also has an effect on enhancing body immunity and hence enabling the body to fight substantively against certain diseases and conditions leading to a healthy life (Lee and Lim, 2012). A number of factors constitute maintenance of a healthy life in elderly people. Other than leisure activity, which is one of the most important routines of a healthy adult, proper nutrition is very important for maintenance of a healthy life (Ting, Chan, and Cheung, 2009). Muscle mass, which usually reduces in aging individuals, is the most important aspect in sustenance of a healthy life. In order for it to be revived, there is the requirement of intense leisure activity and proper nutritional feeding in the elderly. This reduces the occurrences of conditions such as sarcopenia and the related conditions associated with it (Haight, 2005). Through various research studies carried out in various countries among the elderly people with certain variances, the above results were obtained by the use of questionnaires. In study, different categories of elderly people were established, each having different characteristics from the other. The findings indicated that more health-associated risks were witnessed in elderly individuals who never took part in leisure activities as compared to those that participated in leisure activities. There were gross effects pertaining to elderly persons in their retirement in comparison to those of same age but still in employment (Ting, Chan, and Cheung, 2009). Regardless of the type of employment one was involved in, it was substantively clear that getting involved in employment activities played a substantive role in enhancing leisure activity participation. This evidently meant that it was essential for the elderly people already in retirement to engage themselves more in leisure activities in order to maintain a better and healthy life . One fundamental theory that has a direct link to leisure activity and the effect on the elderly is the activity theory. Activity theory addresses the positive relationship and link between leisure activity participation and its relation pertaining to health (Ting, Chan, and Cheung, 2009). From this particular theory, it is indeed clear that from the primary healthcare perspective, organized participation in leisure activities for the elderly of 65 years of age and above, with a particular approach to cognitive and social activities is very appropriate in establishment of a better and healthy living especially in a community setting (Ting, Chan, and Cheung, 2009). From the above perspective, it is of substantive significance that activity theory is in direct relation to the effects of leisure participation in elderly. Being continuously active is a very essential part of wellbeing in the later life (Haight, 2005). Based on the activity theory, leisure is defined based on various perspectives. These include the combination of an individual’s state of mind, activity one is engaged in and the time involved. However, despite the fact that the activity theory interrelates to leisure activity in elderly through the significant effects attributed to it, the particular type and frequency of activity by which an elderly person participates in, plays a fundamental role in determining the effect attributed towards a better health and well-being (Lee and Lim, 2012). Some of the leisure activities that the elderly engage in most frequently include watching of television, reading newspapers, and journals, caring for pets by engaging them in small plays, and listening to music among others (Ting, Chan, and Cheung, 2009). One critical test done in addressing various aspects pertaining to activity theory of how leisure activity affects the elderly is that of gerontology, addressing the sociological, biological, and psychological aspects of aging (Maddox, 1995). Despite the existence of various similarities in the behaviors of the elderly in relation to leisure activity and the health, significant differences were realized especially based on gender. The male gender tends to experience changes faster with attribute to age changes. The experiment also found out that the number of females who participated in leisure activities was actually higher in the elderly as compared to those of the males (Maddox, 1995). Women are fond of participating in various house activities that translate to the leisure activities. This ideally, contributes to a higher number of women in the elderly ages as compared to the males. Fundamentally, a majority of the males had suffered numerous health related conditions due to their lack of effective participation in leisure activities, and hence had died from the conditions associated with old age such as higher blood pressure, depression, and stress (Lee and Lim, 2012). Individuals with 65 years and above have very delicate and complicated lives, which require absolute care in order to ensure that they remain healthy. This is mainly attributed to the particular activities that these individuals need to engage in for their well-sustained healthcare. One aspect that is ideal for addition to the findings of various experiments done in attribute to the elderly and their participation in leisure activities is that the elderly require constant company (Maddox, 1995). Considering the manner in which God designed the lives of humans after creation is that they are not solitary individuals. When the aged are left to lead a lonely life, then their journey to illness starts. It is therefore fundamental that in addition to frequent engagement in leisure activities to live a healthy life for the elderly, it is basic that company is also provided to fully supplement their well-being. References Haight, T. (2005). Effects of Body Composition and Leisure-time Physical Activity on Transitions in Physical Functioning in the Elderly. American Journal of Epidemiology, 162(7), 607-617. Lee, G., & Lim, W. (2012). Effects of the Leisure Activity and Social Support of the Elderly on Their Psychological Well-Being. The Journal of the Korea Contents Association, 12(10), 291-306. Maddox, G. L. (1995). The encyclopedia of aging: a comprehensive resource in gerontology and geriatrics (2nd ed.). New York: Springer Pub. Co. Ting W, LY Chan, and Cheung M. C., 2009. Leisure participation and health related quality of life of community dwelling elders; Asian J Gerontol Geriatr 2009; 4: 15–23 Read More