This week, at the State Society for Aging of New York's annual conference, Catherine Gordon will present a study, entitled "Participation in Creative Occupations: Patterns and Relationship to Perceived Health Status among Older Adults." The study, in which 50 older adults in Tompkins County were interviewed, was carried out by Gordon and a graduate student research team earlier this year.
Gordon is an associate professor of occupational therapy in the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance.
Aided by faculty from the Gerontology Institute and HSHP associate dean Janet Wigglesworth, the team developed a survey instrument based on the work of Cohen and multiple OT researchers, field-tested it, and administered it to 50 adults betweeen 62 and 98 years old.
The research team also included six occupational therapy (OT) graduate students: Becky Cappadonia, Jessica Golde, Rory Lyons, Meghann Dalrymple, Melissa Walsh, and Alexandra Miller. Participants were recruited from Lifelong, Titus Towers, and McGraw House.
The interviews, which lasted about 90 minutes, asked about participation in a variety of leisure activities, with an emphasis on those which are considered creative in nature. Participant demographics and perceived health status was measured, as well as how these leisure activities fit into the individual's daily lives.
Factors which were considered motivators, facilitators, or inhibitors or participation were also measured, and descriptive and correlational analysis was performed.
The study has also been presented at IC and Lifelong. It was done in partial completion of the students' masters requirements, and was funded in part by the Gerontology Institute's new Linden Center for Creativity and Aging.
For further information, you can contact Professor Gordon ([mailto:catheyg@ithaca.edu]) or any of the graduate student participants.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20081020132441214