Active leisure is healthy for the elderly

Knowing how to enjoy your free time when you reach old age is a challenge. Leisure activities in this period require specialized guidance. According to Occupational Therapy graduate students of the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), old people in Brazil spend 26% of their day in leisure activities. Despite the fact that it is common at this age to spend free time idly, a more active leisure, such as being involved with occupational therapy activities, may result in greater benefits. Among such activities the study suggests handicrafts, dancing, conversation circles, and reading.

Active leisure in the third age may awaken the potential of the elderly to creative and social aspects, promote periods of socialization, lead to the sharing of experiences, and encourage communication and the learning of new skills and interests. All this enables them to have a more satisfactory life and with better quality.

PROMOTING A HEALTHIER THIRD AGE

The Legion of Good Will (LBV) values the elderly. It treats their life stories with consideration and identifies opportunities for them to be able to live a third age in a healthy and happy way. In its Homes for the Elderly (in the Brazilian cities of Volta Redonda, Teófilo Otoni, and Uberlândia), the Organization offers all the support and care that seniors need, guaranteeing they have a balanced and tasty diet, regular physical activities according to their individual needs, a leisure area where they can even have contact with nature, and medical and social care. The LBV welcomes the elderly without references and/or who have been pushed out of their family circle.

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Moreover, in its Social Service Centers the LBV also has programs directed at the third age, like the Learning and Interaction program, which develops activities that respect and value their experiences, offering them a healthy environment for dialogue, for strengthening their citizenship, and guaranteeing their rights. The young people of the third age take part in educational talks, go on cultural and leisure outings, and undertake activities that promote knowledge and get them out of their routine.

“We feel at home in the LBV. We forget our problems, they become smaller. Before I used to just lie around, feeling depressed. Then I started coming here and I liked it a lot. Today I feel happy. I’m calmer and on the days I come here I’m very happy, because I know that I’m going to have a great day,” said Luci de Araújo. 

All the activities are planned by the program coordinators with the aim of solving the challenges faced by each participant. And the feedback has been positive. “We take a lot of advantage of the meetings. They’re very friendly people. The LBV is the best. My life has already changed. My depression, stress, tiredness, and unhelpful thoughts have disappeared. Today, things have improved a lot. It’s just happiness,” said Rosa Helena Ribeiro.

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Version: Rob Dinham 
Revision: Rosana Bertolin