Clarifying the Measurement of Activity

Ritchey, Lynn; Dietz, Bernadette

doi:10.1300/j016v26n01_01

Cited by 34 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…People felt their health benefited when they had the ability and resources to be involved in activities that were important to them. There is further evidence suggesting that being involved in meaningful activity allows older adults to better adapt to difficult circumstances and experience a sense of well being (Lysack & Seipke, 2002;McIntyre & Howie, 2002;Ritchey, Ritchey, & Dietz, 2001), while others have argued that activity provides a sense of belonging and sustained identity (Christiansen, 1999;Hagerty, Williams, Coyne, & Early, 1996;Lysack & Seipke, 2002;Purves & Suto, 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Doing as much as I can do: The meaning of activity for people with dementia

Phinney

Chaudhury

O’Connor

2007

Aging & Mental Health

270

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While it is assumed that persons with dementia benefit from being involved in meaningful activity, research examining this claim is limited. In particular, how individuals with dementia perceive this involvement is poorly understood. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to determine what constitutes meaningful activity from the perspective of persons with dementia, and to explore how they perceive its significance in their lives. We conducted an interpretive phenomenological analysis of multiple interviews and participant observation conducted with eight community-dwelling elders with mild to moderate dementia. For several participants, the single most important driving force in their lives was being active, doing as much as they possibly could. They were involved in a wide range of activities including leisure pastimes, household chores, work-related endeavors, and social involvements. These activities were meaningful in three ways: Through their involvement, participants experienced feelings of pleasure and enjoyment; felt a sense of connection and belonging; and retained a sense of autonomy and personal identity. Findings suggest that familiarity of the social and physical environment promotes involvement in activities. This provides a sense of continuity for people with dementia, with implications for their quality of life and personhood. Further implications of these findings for dementia care and future research are discussed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Doing as much as I can do: The meaning of activity for people with dementia

Phinney

Chaudhury

O’Connor

2007

Aging & Mental Health

270

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“…Lelkes, 2006;Pichler, 2006) and that this positive effect applies into older age (Ritchey, Ritchey, & Dietz, 2001), and remains even when controlling for levels of life satisfaction in previous periods (Baker et al, 2005). A generally positive relationship between social contact and SWB may have implications for government policies which encourage a geographically mobile labour force thereby weakening networks of family and friends.…”

Section: Seeing Family and Friendsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Do we really know what makes us happy? A review of the economic literature on the factors associated with subjective well-being

Dolan

Peasgood

White

2008

Journal of Economic Psychology

2,391

150

1,683

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“…In this case, she could be a powerful and credible marketer who advertises the benefits of yoga. Moreover, several researchers have pointed out the positive influence of social activity on health and well-being in later life (Glass et al, 1999;Ritchey, Ritchey, & Dietz, 2001). For example, Glass et al (1999) conducted a population study of older adults that examined the effects of social and productive activities on all-cause mortality.…”

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The results indicated that social and productive activities lower the risk of all-cause mortality as much as cardiopulmonary fitness, even though these activities do not involve enhancement of fitness. Furthermore, Ritchey et al (2001) pointed out that informal leisure activities (e.g., contact with children, helping others, etc.) have a more positive impact on health and well-being than solitary activities (e.g., reading, doing housework, etc.)…”

Section: Practical Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Relationship Between Different Types of Serious Leisure and Successful Aging

Lee

Payne

2015

Activities, Adaptation & Aging

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As the aging population grows and their life expectancy increases, one concern is how to live a happy and healthy later life; in other words, how to age successfully. In this sense, leisure is one important aspect of successful aging. Thus, this study examined the relationship between different types of serious leisure and successful aging in later life. Participants whose serious leisure activity included a high social component were more likely to engage more seriously. However, there were no significant differences between different types of serious leisure activity and successful aging. This research suggests that older adults have broad choices of leisure activities to experience successful aging.

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Clarifying the Measurement of Activity

Cited by 34 publications

References 36 publications

Doing as much as I can do: The meaning of activity for people with dementia

Doing as much as I can do: The meaning of activity for people with dementia

Do we really know what makes us happy? A review of the economic literature on the factors associated with subjective well-being

Exploring the Relationship Between Different Types of Serious Leisure and Successful Aging

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