[How does the elderly spend their leisure time in Qazvin?]

ABSTRACT

Of the total population of 1,143,000 in Qazvin province, 7.3% are over 60 and there is no plan to help them spending their spare times. To identify how the elderly should spend their spare times to get benefit the community from their abilities and skills. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were applied. A total number of 104 aged people as well as the representatives of 18 GOs and NGOs were included in the investigation. The data were collected through structured questionnaire, focussed group discussions, and interviews. Later, the data were classified and analyzed, statistically. also, A pilot interventional study was carried out using the assistance of 5 aged volunteers, 3 men and 2 women, while the whole process was videotaped during 2007- 8. The study revealed that most elderly have no plan on how to spend their times and feeling dissatisfied with their situations. The aged population was willing to be useful to the community with demand for access to particular places for gathering and transfer of their skills to younger people. Only 500 persons of the elderly people were the members of NGOs and 4500 as state pensioners. Nearly 68% of the elderly were interested of having their abilities applied to the community. To pilot the intervention, 3 men and 2 women were volunteered and presented their skills in teaching 150 younger people in cooking, archeology, painting, literature and yoga. Municipalities, GOs, NGOs, and mass media should have strategic plans to take advantage from the aged people's abilities as a social capital while improving their quality of life