Resumption of role status through leisure in later life

Abstract

The older adult population is more active and diverse than ever before. Meanwhile, societal expectations attached to the older person role have remained relatively static, reflecting an era of very different health and social conditions. Consequently, existing older adult role expectations are based on outdated images of older adult health and attendant lifestyle preferences, which influence the way in which human service organizations, including leisure service providers, support older persons. Thus, many persons entering later stages of life today experience role‐person misfit, particularly if they are not able to negotiate through the discrepancies between societal and individual role expectations. This article explores the possible impact of expectations associated with outdated older person roles and examines the role of leisure in addressing the resultant role‐person misfit. Evidence gleaned from the experiences of an institutionalized older adult who participated in an action research project illustrates how basic role forces and institutional structural constraints can impinge on the realization of fulfilling leisure and suggests ways in which valued leisure pursuits may act as a catalyst in the resumption of valued role status for older adults.