Leisure itineraries in the elderly

Abstract

The objective was to analyze the leisure experiences practiced by the elderly throughout life to understand possible relationships between current and past leisure practices, as well as the factors that influenced each stage of life. This is a qualitative and exploratory research. The sample selection was intentional and non-probabilistic. A semi-structured interview was used for data collection. The number of participants was defined by the data saturation technique. To interpret the information, we used the content analysis technique and the Iramuteq software. The sample was composed of 18 people (10 women and eight men), 70.5±5.1 years old. As main results we identified: 1) childhood and adolescence: non-systematized leisure experiences; 2) adulthood: there was a greater restriction to leisure activities due to social obligations; 3) elderly: possibility of inclusion to leisure experiences due to more free time because of retirement. We conclude that there is a continuity of leisure activities carried out in the previous phases of the life cycle, influenced by multiple factors such as socioeconomic and cultural conditions and possibilities of access to leisure spaces and equipment, which may interfere in the adherence and/or adherence to these activities in elderly.