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“None are so old as those who have outlived enthusiasm.”
—Henry David Thoreau
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LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this chapter, readers will be able to:
2-1. Explain the importance of meaning in the lives of older adults.
2-2. Discuss the role of occupation and co-occupation in supporting meaning in the lives of older adults.
2-3. Identify and describe four primary categories of meaningful occupation.
2-4. Define spirituality and religion and discuss their relevance in later life.
2-5. Create occupational therapy interventions to promote and support meaningful occupation and co-occupation for older adults.
2-6. Discuss theories regarding meaningful occupation and well-being, emphasizing occupational impact on health, subjective well-being, self-efficacy, and life satisfaction.
2-7. Debate the importance of home and place as integral to meaning in later life.
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Mini Case Study
Claudette Odon is a 71-year-old African American woman who resides in a large West Coast city where she has lived her entire life. She is widowed, having lost her husband 6 years ago after 48 years of a marriage she describes as happy. She has two adult daughters who live in the same city and six grandchildren, most of whom are currently at universities around the United States. She had a son, but he was killed in a drive-by shooting when he was 16, a loss that remains central to her awareness.
Ms. Odon worked for many years in a nonprofit organization that promoted the arts, especially theater, in her city and retired 3 years ago. She continues to be very involved in the arts community, serving on the boards of several organizations and attending frequent performances. She has a large circle of friends, mostly related to the arts, and she is very involved in her Baptist church.
Ms. Odon reports having arthritis that interferes with her ability to move comfortably. The discomfort has led her to give up gardening, and she reports having difficulty preparing her meals because standing and handling food preparation tools are uncomfortable as well.
Provocative Questions
Do you think that Ms. Odon has a satisfying occupational profile? Are there areas of occupation that are missing from her profile? If there are, what might be some explanations for their absence?
How might the loss of her son and her husband affect her occupational profile and her satisfaction with the associated activities?
How might an occupational therapist help Ms. Odon prepare for adaptations she may need for future occupational participation in valued occupations?
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Later life is characterized by significant change—change in physical capacity, change in roles, change in family constellations, change in living arrangements. All these changes can present daunting challenges in the absence of a sense of purpose and meaning. Occupational therapy can make important contributions in helping older adults find purpose and thereby enhance quality of life. This chapter considers the ways in which older adults construct meaningful lives, the centrality of occupations to life, ...