Get in touch with leisure: a community-based therapeutic recreation programme for older adults during COVID-19

Abstract

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic led to an increased risk of social isolation among older adults as public health measures discouraged engagement in leisure opportunities outside of the home. The Get in Touch with Leisure programme was a telephone-based community therapeutic recreation programme designed for older adults who were living on low income. The programme aimed to support participants in achieving leisure-related goals and increasing engagement in meaningful leisure. The purpose of this article is to explore programme participants’ experiences with leisure both before and after their engagement in the programme. We interviewed five participants before participation in the programme and again at the conclusion of the programme. We analyzed the transcripts thematically, generating two main themes. The first theme, life during lockdown, reflects participants’ experiences while COVID public health measures were in place, prior to their participation in the programme. The second theme, reconnecting with leisure, demonstrates how after participation in the programme, participants experienced increased motivation to engage in leisure and perceived increases in health and well-being. This research supports the notion that a telephone-based community therapeutic recreation programme is a feasible approach for implications beyond the effects of the pandemic.