Discuss leisure activities after retirement among late adults.

Answers will vary. Once people retire, they have the opportunity to fill most of their days with leisure activities. Research has shown that engaging in leisure activities is essential for retirees' physical and psychological health. A recent Japanese study found that older men's failure to engage in leisure activities with neighbors, social organizations, and friends was strongly associated with feelings of depression. Similarly, older women appeared to need to engage in leisure activities with social groups, children, and grandchildren in order to avoid depression. Shared leisure activities also contribute to the satisfaction of marital and other intimate partners and to family well-being. They reduce stress and help retirees avert boredom. Contributing to civic activities or volunteering at hospitals and the like also enhances retirees' self-esteem and fosters feelings of self-efficacy. Kleiber and Kelly proposed a model of leisure development in which the final period includes retirement and aging. Leisure takes on special importance after retirement and may become central to the retiree's identity and self-acceptance. If the retiree's health remains robust, leisure activities tend to carry over from working days and may ease the transition to retirement. On the other hand, the physical aspects of aging and the death of companions can force changes in the choice of activities and diminish the level of satisfaction gotten from them. A British study of adults with an average age of 72 reported that nearly three in four (73%) engaged in leisure activities; of these, 23% engaged in "active leisure" (sailing, walking); 18%, "passive leisure" (listening to music, watching television); 24%, social activities; 20%, hobbies; and 15%, other activities. The key motives for leisure activity were pleasure and relaxation. Jo-Ida Hansen and her colleagues administered a questionnaire about leisure activities to 194 retirees, also with an average age of 72, who had been employed at a Midwestern university. They mathematically correlated the respondents' self-reported leisure activities and found that they fell into three clusters or factors. Factor I included athletic, competitive, and outdoor activities. Factor II involved artistic, cultural, and self-expressive activities. Partying was the sole activity that defined Factor III.