Date Presented 03/26/20
The study aimed to identify how past life experiences affect social participation among older adults residing in an assisted-living facility. Ten older adults residing in an assisted-living facility participated in semistructured interviews to share information on their experiences. The topic will advance the field of OT by providing practitioners with the ability to intertwine meaningful activities and life experiences of older adults to promote social participation.
Primary Author and Speaker: Ashley Stroud
Additional Authors and Speakers: Kayla King
Contributing Authors: Amanda Mohler
PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to investigate the in-depth relationship between past life experiences and social participation of older adults in assisted living facilities. The study explores the question, “how does an older adult’s life experiences contribute to participation in social activities within an assisted living facility?” Life experiences are the life events individuals acquire from previous roles, routines, hobbies, education, and work. It is essential to maintain social participation throughout the lifespan for optimal well-being and health (Smallfield & Lucas Molitor, 2018). The information gained in the study will fill the gap in the literature and allow for life experiences to be utilized as a facilitator for social participation.
DESIGN: The study utilized a qualitative, ethnographic design for data collection. Convenience sampling was used to recruit participants. Inclusion criteria included the individual must be between the ages of 65 and 95 years old and reside in the assisted living facility, cannot have a cognitive impairment, and must consent to be in the study.
METHOD: Data were collected over six months and consisted of ten semi-structured interviews. A list of 15-questions guided the interviews by asking participants to describe their lived experience with social participation. Interviews consisted of the interviewer, participant, and a field note taker and were audio recorded for transcription. Each member of the research team completed memo notes. Following the memo notes, concept coding was used to identify symbolic representations of words and phrases. The code list was refined to identify and define emerging themes.
RESULTS: The results of the study encompassed four themes that influenced the social activities participants engaged in.
PAST PROFESSION: Prior employment before residing in the assisted living facility; including volunteerism and career. “I’ve always been with people. I worked in a factory, and I was with everybody. We opened our own business, and I did everything in it, took people home, went and got them... I was just always around people.”
PAST INJURY: Injuries that impact function in daily life such as arthritis, falls, visual changes, etc. “I did try sittercise. I have so much arthritis in my shoulder I could not get my arm up there without hurting. So, I had to quit sittercise.”
ACTIVE LIFESTYLE: Participating in an active lifestyle or sports that promote health and wellness. “I like basketball. That was my main thing in high school. I was guard on a basketball team. That is why I like bean bag baseball. It is similar, but I just love basketball.”
CAREGIVING: Caring for others such as children, grandchildren, friends, etc. “I never participated. I never did things like that [social activities]. You do not go out and play bean bag baseball.”
CONCLUSION: Four themes emerged from the study identifying the significant life experiences affecting older adults’ social participation in assisted living facilities. Understanding what impacts social participation allows occupational therapists to utilize the information to facilitate participation in social activities. Well-being, satisfaction, cognitive and physical functioning is significantly affected by variables such as social networks (Waldman-Levi, Erez, & Katz, 2015). The study results have a powerful impact on the profession of occupational therapy as practitioners now have evidence of specific life experiences affecting older adults social participation. Utilizing life experiences allows for more client-centered, motivating, and individualized treatment to increase older adults’ social participation.
References
Smallfield, S. & Molitor, W. (2018). Occupational therapy interventions supporting social participation and leisure engagement for community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72, 7204190020. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.030627
Waldman-Levi, A., Erez, A. B., & Katz, N. (2015). Healthy aging is reflected in well-being, participation, playfulness, and cognitive-emotional functioning. Healthy Aging Research, 4(8). doi:10.12715/har.2015.4.8.
