In I960, the Junior League of Vancouver undertook a three-year exploratory program of recreation and visiting activities in selected residential institutions for the aged. The project had been suggested by the Committee on the Welfare of the Aged, a subdivision of the Social Planning Section of the Community Chest and Councils of Greater Vancouver, who were aware of the dearth of diversional resources in these institutions. The Research Department of the Community Chest and Councils of Greater Vancouver was asked by the Advisory Committee to the Junior League Senior Citizens Project to undertake an evaluative study of the program. The present study, a self-contained segment within the broad Research Department evaluation, is designed to test two related hypotheses, (a) that the level of participation in a group recreation program will be positively related to the level of previous participation in group activity, and (b) that the level of participation in a group recreation program will be inversely related to the degree of hearing" impairment. Case material as well as statistical recording is assembled to examine these questions. 34 residents of Taylor Manor, a city-owned and operated boarding home for dependent older men and women, constituted the study sample. There is strong statistical support for the first section of the hypothesis. For the second section, the data are not of statistical significance, possibly because of the limited sample size. However, examination of related factors indicates the question of a relationship between program response and impaired hearing should be considered an open one. Social Contacts is the only other variable identified which seems to have a statistically significant relationship to program response. There was inadequate statistical evidence to support the belief that the program had measurable effect upon attitudes and behaviour of Taylor Manor residents, although subjective observations and trends evident in graphs indicate the program did have positive effect upon a number of participants. A larger population with a matched control sample would be necessary before stronger conclusions could be drawn on whether program participation improved attitudes and behaviour. Some implications for community planning are drawn, and suggestions are made for future research. The possibilities of program development are discussed under four headings: community education, recruitment and training of community volunteers, programming and continuing assessment. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

No description available.

The increasing number of persons surviving into old age, the prolongation of the period spent in retirement, and the social changes resulting from urbanization and industrialization, have all combined to make the use of leisure time by the senior citizens an urgent social problem. For this study, two districts from the City of Vancouver, both of which had a high proportion of senior citizens, were selected and compared. The purpose was to assess the effectiveness of existing resources in meeting, the recreational needs of the senior citizens in the two areas. Foremost was the question of the nature of existing resources, their availability to the general population, and. their availability to senior citizens. It also attempted to throw some light on the meaning of recreation to the older person, and the extent to which he is willing or able to involve himself in meeting his own recreational needs. For the purpose of gaining information the cooperation was sought from ministers of local churches, and pensioners' organizations, through the use of questionnaires. These were followed up by personal interviews with staff of social and recreational agencies, representative men and women, and interested citizens. The socio-economic characteristics of the two areas are described, and the recreational resources available and. the use made of them by old people are analyzed. Many groups that replied indicated that the provision of recreation was part of their purpose, but that social action was their primary concern. The questionnaire was useful, but to determine the needs that are considered important by the recreation authorities and the pensioners, it was necessary to make further inquiries through personal interviews with people concerned with the issue. These findings are that the programmes studied are able to meet with varying degrees of success the needs of the senior citizens for companionship with their own group. The extension of existing facilities and programmes, and more frequent meetings are needed, however, to satisfy the emotional and leisure-time needs of senior citizens. In the last chapter, the recreational resources and needs are reviewed and the limitations of the survey are discussed. It appears that the survey dealt primarily with older people of limited financial means who enjoy sufficiently good health to go out to meetings. Larger questions regarding the recreational needs and resources available to all senior citizens, would require further surveys to answer them properly. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to generate an understanding of the process of program planning in a senior centre. Of particular interest was the extent to which technical, contextual, and social-political dimensions of planning were represented in the planning practice of programmers. Indepth interviews were conducted with four programmers who were responsible for planning programs at one Lower Mainland, British Columbia senior centre from April 1996 to April 1997. Observations of programming meetings and documents pertaining to program planning supplemented interview data. This exploration revealed that all three dimensions of planning were evident in the programmers' practice. When planning programs, the programmers completed four technical stages: generating ideas, selecting ideas, developing programs, and organizing details. Daily planning activities revolved around these stages and their related tasks. The way in which programs were developed at this centre was also a highly contextualized process. The programmers were influenced by a variety of contextual factors internal and external to the centre which shaped the structure, process, timing, and organization of planning as well as the selection and development of programs. When examining planning as a social-political process of negotiation, it was evident that planning practice was characterized by power relationships, interests, and negotiation. While negotiating interests was one form of action in which the planners engaged, it was not the dominant form of planning activity. Planning practice at this centre was best depicted as a highly contextualized technical process which entailed information gathering, criteria-based decision making, negotiating interests, and recording program details. The way in which planning occurred at this centre implies that technical, contextual, and social-political dimensions are interrelated and that the interplay between the technical and social-political dimensions is influenced by contextual factors. While much of the planning literature has focused on a single dimension, this exploration of practice suggests that an integrated way of thinking about planning is needed which acknowledges varying degrees to which technical, contextual, and social-political dimensions may be emphasized depending on the planning environment.

The purpose of this study was to generate an understanding of the process of program planning in a senior centre. Of particular interest was the extent to which technical, contextual, and social-political dimensions of planning were represented in the planning practice of programmers. Indepth interviews were conducted with four programmers who were responsible for planning programs at one Lower Mainland, British Columbia senior centre from April 1996 to April 1997. Observations of programming meetings and documents pertaining to program planning supplemented interview data. This exploration revealed that all three dimensions of planning were evident in the programmers' practice. When planning programs, the programmers completed four technical stages: generating ideas, selecting ideas, developing programs, and organizing details. Daily planning activities revolved around these stages and their related tasks. The way in which programs were developed at this centre was also a highly contextualized process. The programmers were influenced by a variety of contextual factors internal and external to the centre which shaped the structure, process, timing, and organization of planning as well as the selection and development of programs. When examining planning as a social-political process of negotiation, it was evident that planning practice was characterized by power relationships, interests, and negotiation. While negotiating interests was one form of action in which the planners engaged, it was not the dominant form of planning activity. Planning practice at this centre was best depicted as a highly contextualized technical process which entailed information gathering, criteria-based decision making, negotiating interests, and recording program details. The way in which planning occurred at this centre implies that technical, contextual, and social-political dimensions are interrelated and that the interplay between the technical and social-political dimensions is influenced by contextual factors. While much of the planning literature has focused on a single dimension, this exploration of practice suggests that an integrated way of thinking about planning is needed which acknowledges varying degrees to which technical, contextual, and social-political dimensions may be emphasized depending on the planning environment. / Education, Faculty of / Educational Studies (EDST), Department of / Graduate

A three part survey instrument was distributed to 84 adults over the age of 60, to assess leisure satisfaction and life satisfaction. The specific areas of investigation were i) the relationship between leisure satisfaction and life satisfaction, and ii) the relationship between leisure satisfaction and income, health, quality of friendship and activity participation. Subjects for the study were associated with one of seven participating agencies and organizations. These groups consisted of a recreation center, nursing homes and retirement communities. The data were analyzed using correlation coefficients, chi-squares and discriminant analysis. No systematic relationship was found between leisure satisfaction and life satisfaction (correlation coefficient of 0.17), or between leisure satisfaction and income (0.23), health (0.15), or quality of friendship (0.10). Using chi-squares, significant differences were found between six of ten paired activities, with regard to level of leisure satisfaction. The results of the discriminant analysis procedure indicated that length of time in current state of health was the most discriminating variable between low and high leisure satisfaction. Other discriminating variables were identified, which may provide a basis from which to consider future research. / M.S.

No description available.

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

Elderly recreational vehicle campers are attracted to the Lower Colorado River area during the winter season. Their numbers have grown in recent years and many are seeking alternatives to the usual practice of establishing residence in private trailer parks. As a result, various public land sites in the region are being subjected to concentrated winter use. Units in these camping areas represent users who are retired couples or individuals on fixed or limited incomes, living in "self-contained" campers, travel trailers or motor homes. Some of these visitors are utilizing designated campgrounds; others are squatting on the public domain where there are few, if any, sanitary or other facilities. The impact of elderly winter visitors on the public land resource of the Lower Colorado River basin area is varied. An understanding of environmental effects is important, but proposed solutions depend upon our ability to understand the people causing environmental deterioration. Answers have been sought to basic questions about winter visitor characteristics and behavior. The findings were applied toward the development of basic policy recommendations pertinent to appropriate public land management for the desert areas of the Southwest. Of theoretical interest was the evaluation of the relative importance of camping socialization experiences in explaining user behavior. Data were gathered from 580 visitor units during the winter of 1973-74 with a personal interview schedule. Important classes of variables included socio-economic characteristics, camping experience, and users' campground behavior and preferences. Interviews were conducted in seven sites representing various kinds of public and private camping facilities in the region. Discriminant function, correlational, multiple regression and bivariate analyses were utilized to render the collected data meaningful. The basic sub-groups in the sample were distinguished by significant differences in various socio-economic and experiential characteristics. The most important of these were income, education, age, value of mobile quarters, and pre-retirement adult camping experience. Length of stay in public land camping areas was not explained by differences in site characteristics. Differences in visitor characteristics accounted for 40-50% of variation in length of stay. Important predictor variables included income, age, average annual pre-retirement camping experience and the amount of previous recreational vehicle camping without utility and sewerage hookups. Support was evidenced for a basic theoretical orientation: that post-retirement behavior is, in part, a reflection of pre-retirement recreational socialization and leisure life style patterns and persistence. The results suggested certain implications for public land management. Recommendations include the desirability of moving elderly winter camper use to sites away from the Colorado River. High fees imposed along the river would discourage extended-stay winter use and restore a unique resource to the short-term water-oriented visitor. The establishment of a spectrum of "inland" camping sites with varying levels of facilities and fees would serve as a positive inducement to the older winter camper, and restore some order to what has been, in some areas, an uncontrolled camping environment. A public campground on Bureau of Land Management land in Why, Arizona, offers a possible solution to the problems posed by the limited resources available to most public land management agencies. There a parcel of public land has been leased by a non-profit community association and developed into a public campground with basic facilities for elderly winter visitors. Management expenses are met through the imposition of a modest graduated fee schedule which favors the extended-stay camper. In this case a squatting problem has been resolved through local initiative; the public land management agency, with its limited budget, has been spared the expense of development and that of direct management responsibility.