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Leisure in Later Life PDF

247 Pages·2021·7.392 MB·English
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LEISURE STUDIES IN A GLOBAL ERA Leisure in Later Life Tania Wiseman Leisure Studies in a Global Era Series Editors Karl Spracklen, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, UK Karen Fox, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada Inthisbookseries,wedefendleisureasameaningful,theoretical,framing concept; and critical studies of leisure as a worthwhile intellectual and pedagogical activity. This is what makes this book series distinctive: we want to enhance the discipline of leisure studies and open it up to a richerrangeofideas;and,conversely,wewantsociology,culturalgeogra- phies and other social sciences and humanities to open up to engaging withcriticalandrigorousargumentsfromleisurestudies.Gettingbeyond concerns about the grand project of leisure, we will use the series to demonstratethatleisuretheoryiscentraltounderstandingwiderdebates about identity, postmodernity and globalisation in contemporary soci- eties across the world. The series combines the search for local, qualita- tively rich accounts of everyday leisure with the international reach of debates in politics, leisure and social and cultural theory. In doing this, we will show that critical studies of leisure can and should continue to play a central role in understanding society. The scope will be global, strivingtobetrulyinternationalandtrulydiverseintherangeofauthors and topics. Editorial Board John Connell, Professor of Geography, University of Sydney, USA Yoshitaka Mori, Associate Professor,Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan Smitha Radhakrishnan, Assistant Professor,Wellesley College, USA DianeM.Samdahl,ProfessorofRecreationandLeisureStudies,Univer- sity of Georgia, USA Chiung-TzuLucettaTsai,AssociateProfessor,NationalTaipeiUniversity, Taiwan Walter van Beek, Professor of Anthropology and Religion, Tilburg University,The Netherlands Sharon D.Welch, Professor of Religion and Society, MeadvilleTheolog- ical School, Chicago, USA LeslieWitz, Professor of History, University of theWestern Cape, South Africa. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14823 Tania Wiseman Leisure in Later Life TaniaWiseman Robert Dodd Building School of Health Sciences Eastbourne, UK Leisure Studies in a Global Era ISBN 978-3-030-71671-4 ISBN 978-3-030-71672-1 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71672-1 ©The Editor(s) (if applicable) andThe Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whetherthewholeorpartofthematerialisconcerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation,reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way,andtransmissionorinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publicationdoesnot imply,evenintheabsenceof aspecific statement,thatsuch namesareexempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. Thepublisher,theauthorsandtheeditorsaresafetoassumethattheadviceandinformationinthis book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made.The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover image: © Maciej Bledowski/Alamy Stock Photo ThisPalgraveMacmillanimprintispublishedbytheregisteredcompanySpringerNatureSwitzerland AG The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland Dedicated to John, who loved tea and biscuits, and Gavin, Katie and James, who I love with all of my heart, and with whom I hope to grow very, very old. Preface: Clearing the Ground I have always been curious about later life and what might be waiting for me if I live a very long time. In my early twenties I trained as an occupational therapist in order to help people with illness and disad- vantages to be more engaged in their lives. I worked as a therapist with older people, once their basic needs were met I ensured that hobbies werenotneglectedsothattherewasareasontogetupanddressedwhen it was difficult. Cooking and gardening were the main activities that I adapted and adjusted to help people engage in their lives. Gardening tookmoreeffortbutgavemorereward.Therewereclinicalsettingswhere people never normally went outside, I rearranged them to accommodate mobility or other safety concerns so that people could feel the rain on their faces and get their hands in the soil. Chair gardening, palliative gardeningandallotmentgardeningallincreasedpeople’smotivationand improvedclinicaloutcomes.Isecuredapart-timeteachingpostandsoon I was modelling therapeutic use of gardening to occupational therapy students. Research in partnership with those students focused on the benefits of therapeutic gardening. vii viii Preface: Clearing the Ground Itookanadditionalpart-timetemporaryresearchpost,evaluatingresi- dents’ experience of gardening in sheltered housing. This was my first experience of working with independent older people. It challenged the thingsIwasreadingandteachingaboutlaterlife,myexperienceofolder people was conditioned by illness, disability and power relations that led to compliant participation. My new experience of older people opened my eyes to a more enticing prospect of what might be waiting for me when I grow old. An opportunity to lead a second gardening group presented. An Age UK programme leader approached me offering £500 funding to intro- duce a gardening group to a sheltered housing unit. My employer gave me scholarly activity time, so I used that to plan and implement a participatory project. My research students carried out literature reviews and evaluations, and we found that gardening and the outdoors were becoming hot topics. My success in encouraging later life leisure gardening inspired this thesis, informed my role as a lecturer in occupational therapy, and directed my occupational therapy research students’ work. At the begin- ningofmyresearchjourney,Ifocusedoncreatinggardeninggroupswith olderpeoplewholivedinshelteredhousing.Whatfollowsisastoryabout leisure transition in sheltered housing, this story highlights a research problem that became the focus of this book. In this preface to the main research,Idrawondirectquotationsandfieldnotesfromthegardensto presentacoherentstoryfromcompositeplaces(Mair,2009).Realplaces, real people, real context, but blurred in order to provide anonymity for the people involved. Thisstoryraisesquestionsabouthowleisureisconstrainedinsheltered housing, and what this means for research on leisure in later life. Week 1: ‘What are you up to?’ Sick with nerves, I was finally preparing to meet with the residents, take a chance to repeat my gardening magic and get them gardening together. I had already visited on-site, secured funding from a national charity, ensured formal support from the landlords and assistance from the warden. I was walking into the unknown on my active ageing mission. Prior experience had taught me that I could expect just about anything, hence the nerves. Preface: Clearing the Ground ix I had allowed myself to get too excited and invested, fighting down feelings of enthusiasm, imagining awesome success, writing papers and books, becoming a grand advisor on such matters. On that first late winter morning I was too nervous to eat breakfast, wondering how on earth I had got myself into this situation. I drove to the house early, parked up and waited in my cosy camper van for half an hour. Then it was time to go and see what was waiting for me inside the house. The warden greeted me at the door with the funders and we walked into the lounge to meet the assembled group of twelve residents. Before we had settled into our seats the interrogation began on three fronts; “Have the council sent you?…. What?? (Exaggerated surprise/horror) The lottery funded you? – they fund all those druggies - Are you going to grow cannabis? We know what you students are like!…What are you up to? No- one ever does anything nice for folk like us, not without wanting something in return”. I was not offended, I’ve heard worse. They spent an hour grilling me about my intentions, the other ‘organisational’ people were pinned back in their allocated parker knoll chairs, eyes wide, mouths neutral, wondering what they had walked into. Very early in the discussion, I told the group that there was a £500 budget and they would be able to choosehowthatwasspent.Atsomepoint,teaandbiscuitswereprovided and we started to imagine as a group what it would be like to do a little bit of gardening, spend some of that money.They were very wary, but I seemedharmless,sowhenIofferedtoprovidesomeplantsandsuggested asmalltemporaryprojectofherbplanters,theyagreedthatmightbeOK. It was decided that I would plan, choose, buy, bring and organise it all. Then if there were any problems, with the other residents, or managers, that I would deal with that, and take it all away again. We established that Monday mornings would be a good time for all of us, I waved a cheery goodbye and told them I was looking forward to seeing them the following week. I had one loud flat reply from one of the residents. “I probably won’t be here.” x Preface: Clearing the Ground The warden tried to lighten the moment, said she was really looking forward to doing some lovely gardening. We all paused and looked at each other in awkward silence. I left. All the way home in the van I was shaking my head, asking myself what on earth I was doing. I wasn’t at all sure that there would be anyone there the following week. I was also concerned that it was early spring and the weather could be cruel.That difficultbeginningbalancedsomeofthepowerdynamics,butwithtime and distance, I now realise that it let me know how vulnerable they felt. Theywantedmetofeelsomeoftheiranxieties.Ireallydid,everySunday was a sleepless night, every Monday was an anxiety-fuelled breakfast-less start to the week. Week 3: Business as usual I sat with the group laughing, as usual, waiting for my cup of tea, talking about what we would do today, very much queen of the castle. I noticed it all, the slight bristling between a couple of the ladies, the overemphasis of certain words conveying the subversive nature of our mission. The way ‘garden’ was said in a quieter tone, almost inhaled, but with big mouth movements, mouthing the inappropriate words, as if garden was a naughty one. I sat deliberately with my back to the wall, encircled by my group. I could see the poster ‘gardening group— all welcome’, and the ‘gardening update newsletter’ was dotted around, inviting anyone in the housing complex to try a few of the herbs we had planted, or join us to do some gardening. Tea came, the chatter continued, what had happened since last week, the surprise that no one hadcomplained,infacteveryonehadbeensayinghowniceitalllooked. Then I saw her, standing a few feet away, halfway behind the pillar, in a blue checked housecoat, the kind that 1950s housewives wore. She was new, but clutching a pair of secateurs to her chest, ready uniformed and armed for some outdoors housework. When she caught my eye she stepped forward a pace and said quite loudly; “I want to join your group” I smiled and invited her to sit with us. I had saved a couple of seats withmybagsandcoat,andswiftlymovedtheseintoone,creatingaspace for her that meant she was directly in my line of sight, eye contact was

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