Exploring Leisure in Retirement for Individuals with Intellectual Disability

1
Exploring Leisure in Retirement for Individuals
with Intellectual Disability

• Dr Caroline Ellison
• Flinders University
• 2007

2
Leisure and Retirement Purpose of the Study

• To explore the perceptions and experiences of
  individuals with an intellectual disability
  living in the community in relation to retirement
  and leisure.

3
Leisure and Retirement Method

• qualitative research study using phenomenological
  approaches were used to gain insight into
  perceptions and lived experience of participants
• In-depth, semi guided interviews
• 31 participants with an intellectual disability
• 21 significant others
• 4 service providers

4
Leisure and Retirement Research Questions

• What are participants perceptions and experiences
  of retirement?
• What kind of leisure are participants currently
  involved in?
• What are the barriers, if any, to participants
  current or future involvement in leisure of
  choice?
• What are participants leisure aspirations for
  future retirement?
• Do participants and significant others believe
  leisure does, or will, play a role in
  participants experiencing a quality life in
  retirement?

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Leisure and Retirement Leisure Model

• Serious Leisure systematic pursuit of an
  amateur, hobby or volunteer activity sufficiently
  substantial and interesting for the participant
  to find a career there in the acquisition and
  expression of a combination of special skills,
  knowledge and experience (Stebbins, 1997).
• Casual Leisure immediately intrinsically
  rewarding, relatively short lived pleasurable
  activity requiring little or no special training
  to enjoy it (Stebbins, 1997).

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Leisure and Retirement A Few Key Findings

• For both working a retired participants leisure
  involvement was predominantly casual and passive.
• Most participants had a casual leisure interest
  that could be developed into a more serious
  pursuit.
• The majority of participants wanted more support
  for involvement in leisure
• Most working participants had concerns about
  retirement, such as boredom and missing work
  friends.
• Lifestyle issues impacting on leisure for retired
  participants was money, transport, declining
  mobility and lack of adequate personal supports.
• Working participants expressed interest in
  leisure education and specific retirement
  planning.
• Significant others were concerned about
  participants lifestyle in retirement and
  expressed the need for more formal planning and
  support processes to facilitate transition to
  retirement and to support development of adequate
  leisure participation.

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Leisure and Retirement A Few Key Findings

• Participants with access to community based aged
  care packages reported more frequent and more
  in-depth participation in leisure activities of
  choice.
• Declines in health and mobility impacted on
  leisure participation more when inadequate
  personal supports were available.
• Participants with lower support needs appeared to
  be at greater risk of social isolation and
  boredom as they age.
• Participants had lower levels of engagement in
  their leisure pursuits than that which may be
  found in the broader community.
• Day options programs were not identified by
  participants or significant others as a
  retirement option. However paid carers talked
  about participants needed increased access to day
  options.

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Leisure and Retirement Lifestyle Characteristics

• Involvement in a range of leisure activities
• Understanding about leisure, the types and
  benefits
• Information about opportunities in local
  community
• Positive expectations of retirement
• Pre-retirement planning with opportunities to
  plan for serious leisure involvement
• Access to a service model based on person-centred
  approaches and opportunities for self
  determination
• Adequate personal supports
• Access to quality paid staff with experience or
  knowledge about retirement and leisure
  opportunities in the local community

• Maintaining the ability to walk distances over 1
  km and/or use public transport
• Good health or management of long term health
  issues
• Access to community based aged care supports
• A spouse, life partner and/or ongoing social
  relationships with family
• Regular contact with work peers outside of
  working hours
• Regular contact with family or other social
  contact with people with previous knowledge and
  experience around retirement.
• Personal savings and/or income beyond basic
  social security payments

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Leisure and Retirement Service Recommendations

• Findings indicate that individuals with
  intellectual disability require consistent
  structured support in building a better
  understanding of what retirement means as a life
  phase and how serious and casual leisure can
  enhance quality of life after ceasing paid work.

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Leisure and Retirement Service Recommendations

• Continued cooperation and increased collaboration
  between relevant systemic players such as
  government, disability services, aged care sector
  and mainstream leisure providers is needed to
  ensure new initiatives around retirement and
  leisure are sought.

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Leisure and Retirement Service Recommendations

• Government policy and programs that
• address poor social conditions including poverty,
  social isolation, poor health for individuals
  with intellectual disability.
• support improvement or maintenance of social
  conditions in retirement such as finances,
  health, social connections and independence so as
  to remain active and healthy for as long as
  possible.
• the need for relevant information and education
  on retirement, leisure and ageing. For
  individuals and their supports (paid and
  informal).
• issues with access to transport
• The number of individuals with intellectual
  disability with inflexible and inadequate levels
  of personal supports that reduce opportunities to
  live in the community and access leisure of choice

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Leisure and Retirement Service Recommendations

• Development of additional formal services
• to bridge the gap of unmet need or natural
  support provided by the workplace
• Facilitate increased participation in casual and
  serious leisure activities of choice across the
  lifespan.

13
Leisure and Retirement Future Research

• Longitudinal studies describing lifestyle
  journeys and transitions of people with an
  intellectual disability
• Exploration of perceptions and experiences across
  broader range of employment and accommodation
  experiences.
• Exploration of issues related to assisting people
  with intellectual disability to understand
  concepts around leisure, retirement and lifestyle
  development as well as healthy ageing.
• Exploration of link between retirement lifestyles
  and employment conditions and any constraints
  applied by disability service providers (related
  to policy or funding arrangements).
• More extensive understanding of the leisure
  participation of people with a disability across
  the lifespan.
• The impact of current government policy on the
  leisure and retirement lifestyles of people with
  an intellectual disability.

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Leisure and Retirement Study Strengths

• Presenting the lived experience of participants
• Identifying points of agreement and
  differentiation in the perceptions of
  participants and their significant others.
• Exploring participants leisure participation
  against Stebbins leisure models promotes
  understanding about the types of leisure pursuits
  individuals may need access to across the
  lifespan to promote well-being.
• Transferability to practice
• Provides a platform for additional research

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Leisure and Retirement Concluding Comments

• There is an urgent need for policy and services
  to provide opportunities for people with
  intellectual disability to actively learn about
  and plan for involvement in leisure activities of
  choice across their lives in preparation for
  retirement and then, have the supports to be as
  independent and active as long as possible and
  enjoy life beyond paid work.

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Leisure and Retirement Concluding Comments

• There is a need for the findings of leisure
  research and theory to be applied to individuals
  with a disability as well as those without. An
  active leisure lifestyle is more than a frill and
  can support and underpin physical and emotional
  well-being.

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Leisure and Retirement Acknowledgments

• The individuals with an intellectual disability
  and their nominated significant others
• Supporting organisations
• Interested service providers
• Support of colleagues