Abstract

Increasing life expectancy calls for a better understanding of the pattern of leisure activities in the elderly population beyond age of retirement, since inactivity is an important factor in the deterioration of the physical and cognitive functions of the elderly. To describe the pattern of leisure activities in relation to physical and cognitive function, and dementia status. DESIGN: A descriptive study. SETTING: The Kungsholmen District of Stockholm, Sweden. PARTICIPANTS: A cohort of 1623 community dwellers aged 75 years and older. MEASURES: 31 individual and 5 types of leisure activities (mental, social, physical, productive and recreational) were studied. Cognitive status was measured with the Mini–Mental State Examination (MMSE). Physical functioning was assessed with the Katz Index of Activity of Daily Living (ADL), and dementia status diagnosed with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Revised Third Edition (DSM–III–R). RESULTS: Reading (18%) and mental activity type (73%) are most popular in the whole population. Among the active participants, the ones with intact cognitive and physical status are the most active (55%) and among the demented with physical impairment 3% are active. Both impaired physical and cognitive status were related to reduced participation. However, cognitive impairment seems to have more impact on inactivity than physical impairment. The combination of cognitive and physical impairment did not worsen notably the participation. The elderly engage in a wide variety of activity. This suggests that elderly continue activities that they have been doing prior to impairment but adapt their activity to their level of competence and present cognitive and physical status. Also, the results seem to indicate that cognitive and physical impairments have respectively a primary and secondary impact on inactivity.

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