Aging & Society: Eighth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

Activity engagement is an important part of older adults’ well-being, as advocated in the World Health Organization’s “healthy ageing” agenda. Whereas activity engagement is often defined among community-based older adults and from a youthful perspective, this study, using focus group methodology, investigates activity engagement among forty older residents in two Chinese long-term care facilities in Beijing and Suzhou in China. We examine the portfolio of activities existing within these institutions and analyze residents’ perceptions of changes to their activity patterns following their move into long-term care. Our results specify seven domains of formal activity participation and eight domains of informal engagement among our sample of older care home residents. Regarding alterations to activity patterns following relocation, three self-perceived changes were identified: freedom from daily chores, an increased choice of companionship, and lost old hobbies with new ones developed. Implications are discussed from the perspective of the Chinese culture influence of Confucianism, and policy recommendations are put forward.