Leisure and Well-Being Model 1
Running Head: Theoretical Foundation and Service Delivery
Theoretical Foundation and Service Delivery for
The Leisure and Well-Being Model for the Aging Population with Dementia
Kale Mohar
University of Utah
Leisure and Well-Being Model 2
Theoretical Foundation and Service Delivery
Focusing on people’s strengths and abilities instead of their weaknesses and disabilities
allows for an overall increase in positive affect, emotion, and experience. These overall increases
in positive affect, emotion, and experience make it possible for a heightened state of well-being.
In this paper, I will define The Leisure and Well-Being Model and explore the possibility of
application to the aging population with dementia.
The Leisure and Well-Being Model
The Leisure and Well-Being Model is founded in strength-based practices, psychology,
human development, and leisure behavior theory. The Leisure and Well-Being Model has two
main components of service delivery that are also considered the proximal outcomes; enhancing
leisure experience and developing resources, capacities, and assets. The ultimate goal or distal
outcome of The Leisure and Well-Being Model is an overall sense and increase of one’s wellbeing. Well-Being is a state of successful, satisfying, and productive engagement with one’s life
and the realization of one’s full physical, cognitive, and social-emotional potential (Pollard &
Rosenberg, 2003).
When providing psycho-educational interventions that aid resource developments there
are five broad categories that are interconnected: psychological resources, social resources,
cognitive resources, physical resources, and environmental resources. The psychological
resources in the Leisure and Well-Being Model that are central to well-being are capacity for
happiness, emotion regulation, self-awareness, self-determination competence, optimism, and
sense of meaning. Leisure can be used, within the psychological category, to help develop selfawareness, give one’s life meaning, and help cope with negative life events. Social resources,
such as relationships to one another, are important for happiness and strength; positive
Leisure and Well-Being Model 3
relationships are associated with positive emotions. Social resources include things as
communication skills, interpersonal skills, reciprocal relationship skills, and social confidence
(Iso-Ahola & Park, 1996). Cognitive resources help individuals learn and process information in
order to experience a sense of personal agency, help with the ability to concentrate, remember
information, set goals, follow directions, and solve problems (Lahey, 2001). Physical resources,
such as physical health, fitness, mobility, energy, and vitality are important to overall well-being.
Environmental resources are those that are outside of the individual. These resources include
social connectedness and social networks, community engagement and empowerment.
The Leisure and Well-Being Model not only focuses on leisure experiences, but the
quality of those leisure experiences. Savoring leisure, authentic leisure, leisure gratifications,
mindful leisure, and virtuous leisure are five ways to help and insure to have enhancing leisure
experiences. Savoring leisure is being able to increase one’s attention to the positive emotions
associated with leisure (Seligman, 2002). Authentic leisure is taking ownership of emotions,
needs, wants, preferences, or beliefs (Harter, 2002). Leisure gratification happens when an
individual not only feels happy, but feel that their lives have served some important purpose.
Mindful leisure means to be aware of current leisure experiences as well as disengagement from
concerns about daily life, the past, or the future. Virtuous Leisure is based on using ones’
strengths to contribute to something larger than oneself.
Theoretical Underpinning of The Leisure and Well-Being Model
There are two main theories that support the benefits of The Leisure and Well-Being
Model. The leisure theory suggests and focuses on perceived freedom, perceived competence,
intrinsic motivation, and positive affect. An individual being able to choose what leisure and
recreation activities to participate in are essential in many areas of The Leisure and Well-Being
Leisure and Well-Being Model 4
Model. A part of this decision is positive affect and intrinsic motivations. The positive
psychology theory focuses on human capacities and strengths rather than on weaknesses,
limitations, and disabilities. Focusing on one’s strengths can further improve their individual
lives by developing a stronger sense of social agency.
The Leisure and Well-Being Model with Aging Population/Dementia
Individuals affected by dementia can have impairments to the five domains;
psychological, social, cognitive, physical, and environmental. All of these are addressed and are
focused on in The Leisure and Well-Being Model. During the assessment part of the TR process,
it is important to find out from the individual or close acquaintance previous leisure activities or
experiences that they enjoyed or encountered. This allows a plan to be developed that involves
past interest and strengths, and therefore, individuals can experience desired leisure that falls into
one or more of the areas mentioned before.
The Leisure and Well-Being Model and The Programmatic Approach
When planning for individuals with dementia, it may be difficult to plan and promote
savoring leisure, authentic leisure, leisure gratifications, mindful leisure, and virtuous leisure due
to intellectual disabilities. However, it is still possible to include psychological, social, cognitive,
physical, and environmental resources which then lead to an improvement quality of life and
promotes well-being as designed by The Leisure and Well-Being Model. An example is putting
into practice “simple pleasures”. Individuals with dementia can experience pleasurable
engagement through activities that can be associated to a past feeling or emotion. These simple
pleasures can included, but not limited to listening to music, playing simple games, petting
animals, eating certain foods, experiencing nature, accomplishing a task, and interacting with and
helping others.
Leisure and Well-Being Model 5
Conclusion
The Leisure and Well-Being Model designed for therapeutic recreation programs can
play an important role in designing a program for the individuals who are experiencing dementia
by focusing on strengths rather than limitations. Dementia affects the same targeted area for
developing resources in The Leisure and Well-Being Model; psychological, social, cognitive,
physical, and environmental. Individuals coping with dementia can experience well-being
through a program that focuses on enhancing leisure experiences to the best ability and
developing resources.
Leisure and Well-Being Model 6
References
Harter, S. (2002) Authenticity. In C.R. Snyder & S.J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive
psychology (pp. 382). New York: Oxford University Press.
Iso-Ahola, S.E., & Park, C. J. (1996) Leisure-related social support and self-determination as
buffers of stress-illness relationship. Journal of Leisure Research, 28, 169-187.
Lahey, M. (2001). Cognitive rehabilitation. In D. Austin & M. Crawford (Eds.), Therapeutic
recreation: An introduction (pp. 220-231) (3rd ed.) Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Pollard, E. & Rosenberg, M. (2003) In M. Bornstein & L. Davidson (Eds.), Well-being: positive
development across the life course (pp. 12-32). Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum.
Seligman, M. E. P. (2002) Authentic happiness. New York: Free Press.