Many previous studies have reported that the enjoyment of leisure is the core of leading a satisfactory life at one's old age. However, due to the lack of research and social consideration on the leisure life of those who reside in the home for the ag...
Many previous studies have reported that the enjoyment of leisure is the core of leading a satisfactory life at one's old age. However, due to the lack of research and social consideration on the leisure life of those who reside in the home for the aged for free of charge, this target population merely goes about their daily lives without alternatives, compared to their counterparts who reside at home.
The purpose of this study is to understand the leisure environment of the aged through varying factors of structural and interpersonal leisure constraint from the ecological perspective and then takes a good look into how their leisure environment and the individually varying leisure factors have affected the quality of their lives, which is to verify the structure of its causality through covariance structure analyses. This study aims to lead public appreciations and interests in the plight of the aged living in the public homes in the field of Home Economics. Thus, it presents a scheme conducive to their quality of life through an improvement of their leisure life.
With this purpose, the date were collected by face-to-face interviews with this population, 65 years of age and above, who were able to manage their daily lives in those public homes (those free of charge) from June 20 to July 5, 2005. A total of 301 cases were used for the analyses, investigating frequency, percentage, average, standard deviation, confidence coefficient (Cronbach's alpha), Pearson's correlation coefficient, definite primary cause analysis, and covariance structure analysis with SPSS 12 and LISREL 8 programs.
The following illustrate the results and related discussions of the study.
1)The leisure environmentof the aged in public homes is a type of leisure constrain from an environmental viewpoint. Such constraints would inevitably lead to a direct effect on individual leisure life and leisure motivation to an extent which self-determination may be constrained in the long run.
2)The intrapersonal leisure environment is a most important factor, compared to any factors, for a desirable leisure life within the homes. Since an eventual promotion of leisure satisfaction would be a prerequisite condition for an enhanced quality of life through leisure motivation, improving interpersonal leisure constraints should be first priority over other factors.
3) From the ecological perspective, interpersonal leisure constraints had interacted with the structural and interpersonal leisure environment, leading to the self-determinative leisure motivation. Based on this finding, the study suggests that the provision of factors for improving intrapersonal leisure constraints, which eventually contribute to the promotion of leisure satisfactionand the quality of life for the aged residing in public homes.
4) Leisure motivations had significant direct relationship with leisure activity participation, leisure satisfaction, and the level of the quality of life. Therefore, it is noteworthy to mention that it is at the very core of variation in the measure for improving the quality of life of this population.
5) The leisure activity participation by the aged was directly related to the effect of leisure satisfaction. It could be a proof of the effectiveness of the leisure program's activities in the setting, indicating further promotion of a sustainable leisure program within the homes.
6) Leisure satisfaction had shown significant and direct influence on the quality of life which suggests that it is the basic factor for leisure satisfaction. In order to promote the quality of life for the aged in the public homes, it is important to provide the measure of promoting their leisure satisfaction along with the improvement of the structural, intrapersonal and interpersonal constraints, and leisure motivation.
The findings of the study suggest that it is important to improve the structural and interpersonal leisure environment, and the intrapersonal constraints and also to promote leisure motivation. In relation to direct practice, the study proposes the following; 1) the provision of the facility evaluation index with respect to the structural and interpersonal environment within the public homes; 2) the promotion of the utilization of community leisure resources; 3) the nourishment and distribution of leisure operators, and 4) the development of a leisure education manual inclusive of the functions of leisure counselors. It is important for those who are working in the public homes and also concerned scholars and policy makers to recognize the findings of this study.