Leisure and Aging: Theory and Practice provides students and professionals with a balanced perspective of current knowledge as it presents cutting-edge research in both fields. Supplemented by online ancillaries, this text offers a wealth of knowledge on various aspects of life for older people and the role of leisure in their lives.

The number and percent of older people in developed countries continue to grow, thanks to medical advances and decreases in fertility and mortality rates. And that means that tomorrow’s recreation and leisure professionals will be more challenged than ever to meet the needs of an increasingly older culturally diverse population. Leisure and Aging: Theory and Practice provides students and professionals with a balanced perspective of current knowledge as it presents cutting-edge research from the fields of both gerontology and leisure studies. Written by authors from various disciplines who represent an international who’s-who in leisure and aging research, this text • explores theories in leisure and aging; • bridges the gap between research and application, arming professionals with tools to navigate diverse cultures; and • offers insight into delivery of leisure services in older adult communities and long-term care environments. Each chapter features learning objectives, study questions, case studies, exercises, and relevant readings. The book is supplemented by online ancillaries, including an instructor guide, test package, and a presentation package with photos, illustrations, and tables from the text. Together, the text and online ancillaries help students connect theories and practice as they prepare for future roles in their chosen fields. Leisure and Aging is presented in five sections. Part I introduces global perspectives on leisure and aging, while part II examines the relevance of leisure in an aging context. Part III explores the effects of aging on physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well-being and health. Parts IV and V delve into the role of community in aging and leisure and long-term care and leisure. Written for undergraduate students, professors, and professionals in recreation, leisure, gerontology, and aging, Leisure and Aging provides a wealth of knowledge on various aspects of life for older people and the role of leisure in their lives. The text helps students think critically about a phase of life that seems remote from their own and provides perspective to their understanding of aging and leisure.

Contents: The Aging Journey; Theoretical Perspectives on Aging; Biological Processes; Cognitive Processes; Psychological Aging; The Importance of Leisure; The Leisure Experience -- Motivation Factors; Time and Activities in Retirement -- On Being or Becoming Ulyssean; Ethnicity and Gender -- Impact on Leisure for Older Adults; Living Environments; The Long-Term Care Facility; The Community Environment.

Serious Leisure offers a comprehensive view and analysis of the current state of the sociology of leisure. Defining and differentiating the way people use their free time, Stebbins divides such activity into categories of serious, casual, and project-based leisure that he further separates into a variety of types and subtypes. Together they comprise what he calls "serious leisure." In this perspective, serious leisure constitutes systematic pursuit of an amateur, hobbyist, or volunteer activity sufficiently substantial and interesting in nature and requiring special skills, knowledge, and experience. Casual leisure, though immediately, intrinsically rewarding, is by contrast a relatively short-lived pleasurable activity, requiring little or no special training to enjoy it. Project-based leisure is a short-term, reasonably complicated, occasional creative undertaking carried out in free time. Stebbins sets out the basic concepts and propositions that make up the three forms, focusing on their essential elements. He takes stock of the serious leisure literature as well as that for casual and project-based leisure. Stebbins sees "serious leisure" realized by way of a set of foundational concepts--organization, community, history, lifestyle, and culture--and several of their component areas. He reviews the history and background of the concept of serious leisure and then adds historical commentary on, first, casual leisure and, then, project-based leisure. Finally, he examines the future and the importance of the serious leisure perspective in a globalizing world, and some of its critical links with other fields of knowledge and practice, notably the nonprofit sector and preventive medicine. Together with its original insights, Serious Leisure offers a single, handy, coherent, comprehensive resource. It will be of interest to sociologists, labor studies specialists, and economists.

This book explores concepts and practices for productive aging: What factors contribute to successful aging? What is the role of exercise and nutrition? What is the role of children and adults in interaction with elders? The chapters identify the best practices for successful aging, examine trends in intergenerational caregiving, and define roles and responsibilities across the life span. Topics addressed include: how to maximize productive engagement of older adults how multigenerational issues impact successful aging the ways in which a learning environment can promote intergenerational relationships.

The chapters in this book focus on the physical, social, and emotional components of the concept of quality of life. How diseases affect the quality of life of people is mainly discussed. The influence of diseases on quality of life in age-specific periods such as childhood, youth, and old age is also emphasized. In some non-disease-related environmental factors, specific social phenomena have also been analyzed. I hope that current research and research results in the book will be used to increase the quality of life by health professionals. This book will attract not only health workers but also environmentalists and social scientists and behavioral scientists.

Tourism is big business, especially for older people. With the senior market becoming increasingly targeted by marketers and travel companies, both operators and leisure service providers need to be knowledgeable and sensitive to the particular characteristics, special needs and requirements of the senior market. The purpose of this book is to provide the latest research about these characteristics, tourist behaviours and leisure needs of baby boomers, seniors and older people generally and how to effectively market to this expanding group in the future.