Participation is a key determinant of successful aging and enables older adults to stay in their homes and be integrated into the community. Assessing participation needs involves identifying restrictions in the accomplishment of daily and social activities. Although meeting participation needs involves older adults, their caregivers and healthcare providers, little is known about their respective viewpoints. This study thus explored the participation needs of older adults having disabilities as perceived by the older adults themselves, their caregivers and healthcare providers. A qualitative multiple case study consisted of conducting 33 semi-structured interviews in eleven triads, each composed of an older adult, his/her caregiver and a healthcare provider recruited in a Health and Social Services Centre (HSSC) in Québec, Canada. Interview transcripts and reviews of clinical records were analyzed using content analysis and descriptive statistics based on thematic saliency analysis methods. Aged 66 to 88 years, five older adults had physical disabilities, five had mild cognitive impairment and one had psychological problems, leading to moderate to severe functional decline. Caregivers and healthcare providers were mainly women, respectively retired spouses and various professionals with four to 32 years of clinical experience. Participation needs reported by each triad included all domains of participation. Needs related to daily activities, such as personal care, nutrition, and housing, were generally met. Regarding social activities, few needs were met by various resources in the community and were generally limited to personal responsibilities, including making decisions and managing budgets, and some community life activities, such as going shopping. Unmet needs were mainly related to social activities, involving leisure, other community life activities and interpersonal relationships, and some daily activities, including fitness and mobility. This study highlights the complexity of older adults’ participation needs, involving daily as well as social activities. Properly assessing and addressing these needs is thus necessary to improve older adults’ health and well-being. Discrepancies in the various actors’ perceptions of participation needs must be further explored. Additional research would help better understand how to optimize the contribution of community organizations and caregivers.

Up to 90% of people with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) report dissatisfaction with the status of their leisure participation and/or social integration. Yet, there are virtually no studies that have investigated the benefits of interventions that target leisure specifically for this population. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Leisure Education Program (Carbonneau, Fontaine, & Lussier, 2006) designed to assist people with stroke to engage in meaningful leisure activities, build leisure self-efficacy and promote general wellbeing would have similar benefits for survivors of TBI. We recruited three community-dwelling survivors of TBI to participate in a 10-week leisure program. All three participants reported some benefit in leisure satisfaction and self-efficacy. This extended to improvements in general wellbeing and health-related quality of life for two of the three. These findings suggest that further investigations into the benefits of leisure education for adults with TBI should be conducted.

Leisure is an instrument used to facilitate the social integration of people with disabilities. However, it requires significant knowledge of the needs and expectations of this clientele, who often experience isolation, especially in rural areas. The general objective of this study was to attempt to identify and understand the realities experienced by the partners of the Quebec Association for Leisure for People with Disabilities, who offer various services and leisure activities to people with disabilities in rural Quebec. Through focus groups and semi-structured interviews with seventy local stakeholders, this study highlights the fact that the needs of organizations offering recreational activities to people with disabilities are increasingly urgent, especially in terms of finances, paratransit, accessibility, specialized human resources and consultation. This study also demonstrates that recreational activities are essential for the social and identity development of people with disabilities, but also for the development of more inclusive and connected rural communities.

(2019). Social participation, leisure and active aging. Loisir et Société / Society and Leisure: Vol. 42, Social participation, leisure and active aging / Participation sociale, loisir et vieillissement actif, pp. 1-3.

When planning for retirement, there are many people who neglect to think properly about leisure and free time during retirement. In a study conducted in 2015, researchers noticed the common need among retirees to allow themselves time for this reflection. A secondary analysis of the data from a previous study allowed us to shed light on the needs of retired people regarding the potential contribution of leisure during this period of their lives. Analytic questioning analysis was conducted. Three main needs for new retirees were identified: to develop more positive attitudes toward retirement and the role of leisure, to better understand their retirement needs, and to develop their skills and knowledge about leisure resources.