Excursions boost happiness
New aged care research
Whether it's to ride a horse, take a hike or hop on a Harley, Macquarie University reveals the positive impacts for older people of getting out as part of a group.
Older people felt happier, more confident and formed new friendships when they went on group excursions such as horse riding, river cruises or to musicals, according to a new study of older adults living independently.
To explore the impact on their wellbeing, Macquarie University researchers evaluated an innovative program of 57 adults over the age of 65 in Perth on group excursions that also included skating, riding a Harley Davidson, and having dinner at a restaurant among other activities.
The benefits were largely related to social wellbeing.
Dr Joyce Siette, who led the study at Macquarie’s Australian Institute of Health Innovation, explained.
“They loved having the opportunity to socialise and make new friendships. It was amazing — some of the participants even started having sleepovers with their friends as relationships continued after the program.”
Read our story in full in The Lighthouse here.
This research is published in BMC Geriatric and is open access.
Siette, J., Jorgensen, M., Nguyen, A. et al. A mixed-methods study evaluating the impact of an excursion-based social group on quality of life of older adults. BMC Geriatr 21, 356 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-021-02295-7
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