Time use for Self Care, Productivity, and Leisure among Elderly Canadians

Elderly Canadians' time use for self-care, productivity, and leisure activities are investigated from the perspective of the occupational performance model (Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, 1991). Empirical data are drawn from a representative sample of Canadians 65 years of age or older (N=1398) who participated in the 1986 General Social Survey on Time Use, Social Mobility and Language Use (Statistics Canada, 1990a & 1990b). On average, these Canadian seniors used 8.7 hours/day for sleeping, 7.5 hours/day for leisure, 4.7 hours/day for self-care, and 3–1 hours/day for productive activities. Wide variations in time use were also evident. Self-rated happiness did not vary in relation to time use for daily activities; most respondents rated themselves as ‘very happy’ (47%) or ‘somewhat happy’ (44.5%). Suggestions are made for refinement of the occupational performance model, future research, and clinical practice with elderly people.

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