Leisure Education and Later-Life Planning: A Conceptual Framework

Authors: Mactavish, Jennifer; Mahon, Michael J.

Source: Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, Volume 2, Number 1, March 2005 , pp. 29-37(9)

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Abstract:

Older adults with intellectual disability represent a growing segment of the elderly population in developed and, to some extent, in developing nations worldwide. A considerable body of research has addressed this burgeoning demographic over the past 20 years. Although some variations appear within etiological subgroups, the biological processes of aging and related concerns (e.g., changes in health status) are similar for people independent of whether a person has an intellectual disability. The unique life experiences of individuals with intellectual disabilities, however, introduce social and environmental factors and practices that affect healthy aging and life quality, but are less well understood. As such, later-life planning is an accepted, although not always practiced, mechanism used and directed by adults without disabilities to plan for their futures in later life. Planning for this life stage among older adults with intellectual disabilities, if it is done at all, typically is a parent/family-driven process with a limited scope of focus (e.g., guardianship, financial security). Drawing on previous research in the areas of later-life planning and leisure education, the authors present a conceptual rationale for melding these two processes and propose principles and content elements that could facilitate the use of leisure education as a framework for holistically exploring later-life options and issues.

Keywords: older adults; later-life planning; leisure education

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-1130.2005.00005.x

Affiliations: 1: Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Publication date: 2005-03-01

Leisure Education and Later-Life Planning: A Conceptual Framework

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