An Exploration of Leisure Innovation in the Self-Management of Co-Morbidities in Older Adults

Abstract

Leisure has been shown to be relevant in coping with, adjusting to and adapting to negative life events such as chronic illness (Kleiber & Hutchinson, 2010) and therefore, it may play an important role in accomplishing the tasks of self-management. However, disability resulting from chronic illness can limit leisure participation. Innovation theory of successful aging may provide insight into leisure among older adults living with chronic conditions. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of leisure innovation among older adults living with more than one chronic illness. A hermeneutic phenomenological design was used to explore leisure innovation experiences in the self-management of co-morbidities.

Six older adults, including four men and two women between 68 and 86 participated in in-depth interviews and a follow-up focus group. Field notes and reflexivity were recorded throughout the research process to document thoughts and emotions about the contents and process of the study. The analysis allowed for emergence of themes.

The participants engaged in self-management protocols such as taking medications, eating healthy, and appointments with their physicians. They reported stress from living with co-morbidities such as changed lives, reduced physical activity and experiencing pain. The participants engaged in self-preservation and self-restoration leisure activities. External and internal factors triggered their choice of leisure activities. They reported benefits of engaging in leisure innovation such as improved health, social support emotional well-being, satisfaction and rest. However, they limited their leisure activities due to pain and reduced strength and energy. Finally, they were able to cope better with their co-morbidities through adjusting to chronic conditions, processing emotions, meaning making and integrating illness into daily life.

The findings of this study have implications for practice and research. For example, health professionals could encourage older adults to adopt new activities that could help them manage co-morbidities. Researchers could also consider length of time since diagnosis and compare older adults who have been newly diagnosed to those who have been diagnosed for several years. This may give insight on differences in their leisure experiences and how their symptoms interfered with their leisure innovation and self-management of their co-morbidities.