Occupation and quality in later life

OCCUPATION AND QUALITY IN LATER LIFE PART 1 THE BACKGROUND SYNOPSIS: A book devoted to later life occupation: the curious general reader may well pause here and ask why this is necessary. After all is not the long-awaited period of retirement with its release from the essentials of working to earn one’s living, both eagerly awaited and gratefully embarked upon, and if so then why is a book on occupation necessary for this phase in life? Other readers, with a more immediate involvement in later life issues, whether due to personal or professional reasons, may well be grappling with some of the knotty issues associated with the topic. After the book’s key terms are introduced, this first Part of the book introduces research and popular theories connected with the subject; namely quality of life, the links between occupation, personal health and quality of life, and the arena of successful ageing. To conclude Part 1, chapter 4 brings research in the area up to date by describing research methods which have been used to explore the subject more fully. At the close of chapter 4 readers will meet the twelve older people who took part in this research and who provided the case studies to follow in Part 2. KEY TERMS OCCUPATION: is viewed as individually meaningful use of time. It encompasses any goal directed activity that has meaning for the individual (Creek, 1990) and is composed of skills and values. Sabonis-Chafee (1989) stated simply: “occupation refers to all purposeful activities that fill a person’s waking hours. Purposeful activity is thus more than just doing, it is doing that involves the person on many levels” (p.13). Although there is much recent debate, neatly summarised by Pierce (2001b), that seeks to distinguish between “activity” and “occupation”, such theoretical discussion relies heavily on semantics. A recent distinction is suggested by Royeen (2002) when she suggested that “occupation should be considered as the process of doing with meaning, and that activity should be the outcome” (p.111). Throughout this book, occupation is viewed as synonymous with purposeful activity and it incorporates the three broad and overlapping areas of self-maintenance, productivity and leisure activities. QUALITY OF LIFE: is a complex concept; definitions are explored in chapter 1 which follows. Put briefly, quality of life addresses subjective well-being and its constituent domains. It encompasses both health and sociological perspectives.