LOCAL RECREATIONAL RESOURCES FOR THE AGED: A COMPARATIVE SURVEY OF TWO VANCOUVER DISTRICTS (1957-8) by EDDA ANDRESSON Thesis Submitted i n P a r t i a l F u l f i l l m e n t of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SOCIAL WORK in the School of Social Work Accepted as conforming to the standard required f o r the degree of Master of Social Work School of Social Work 1959 The University of B r i t i s h Columbia ABSTRACT The increasing number of persons surviving into old age, the prolongation of the period spent i n retirement, and the s o c i a l changes r e s u l t i n g from urbanization and i n d u s t r i a l i z a t i o n , have a l l combined to make the use of l e i s u r e time by the senior c i t i z e n s an urgent s o c i a l prob-lem. For t h i s study, two d i s t r i c t s from the City of Vancouver, both of which had a high proportion of senior c i t i z e n s , were selected and compared. The purpose was to assess the effectiveness of existing resources i n meeting, the recreational needs of the senior c i t i z e n s i n the two areas. Foremost was the question of the nature of e x i s t -ing resources, t h e i r a v a i l a b i l i t y to the general population, and. t h e i r a v a i l a b i l i t y to senior c i t i z e n s . It also attemp-ted to throw some l i g h t on the meaning of recreation to the older person, and the extent to which he i s w i l l i n g or able to involve himself i n meeting h i s own recreational needs. For the purpose of gaining information the co-operation was sought from ministers of l o c a l churches, and pensioners' organizations, through the use of question-naires. These were followed up by personal interviews with s t a f f of s o c i a l and recreational agencies, representa-t i v e men and women, and interested c i t i z e n s . The socio-economic c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of the two areas are described, and the recreational resources available and. the use made of them by old people are analyzed. Many groups that r e p l i e d indicated, that the provision of recreation was part of t h e i r purpose, but that s o c i a l action was t h e i r primary concern. The questionnaire was useful, but to determine the needs that are considered important by the recreation authorities and the pensioners, i t was necessary to make further i n q u i r i e s through personal interviews with people concerned with the issue. These findings are that the programmes studied are able to meet with varying degrees of success the needs of the senior c i t i z e n s f o r companionship with t h e i r own group. The extension of exi s t i n g f a c i l i t i e s and programmes, and more frequent meetings are needed, however, to s a t i s f y the emotional and leisure-time needs of senior c i t i z e n s . In the l a s t chapter, the recreational resources and needs are reviewed and the l i m i t a t i o n s of the survey are discussed. It appears that the survey dealt primarily with older people of l i m i t e d f i n a n c i a l means who enjoy s u f f i c i e n t l y good health to go out to meetings. Larger questions regarding the recreational needs and resources available to a l l senior c i t i z e n s , .would require further surveys to answer them properly. In p r e s e n t i n g t h i s t h e s i s i n p a r t i a l f u l f i l m e n t o f the requirements f o r an advanced degree at the U n i v e r s i t y o f B r i t i s h Columbia, I agree t h a t the L i b r a r y s h a l l make i t f r e e l y a v a i l a b l e f o r r e f e r e n c e and study. I f u r t h e r agree t h a t permission f o r e x t e n s i v e copying of t h i s t h e s i s f o r s c h o l a r l y purposes may be granted by the Head of my Department or by h i s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s . I t i s understood t h a t copying or p u b l i c a t i o n of t h i s t h e s i s f o r f i n a n c i a l g a i n s h a l l not be allowed without my w r i t t e n p e r m i s s i o n . Department of The U n i v e r s i t y of B r i t i s h Columbia, Vancouver 8, Canada. Date TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER I THE USE OF LEISURE-TIME BY THE AGED: PAGE: PROBLEM AND OPPORTUNITY 1 The Social Problems of the Aged. The Needs of the Aged. The Meaning of Recreation for the Aged. Method of Study. CHAPTER II RECREATIONAL RESOURCES FOR THE AGED: THE ROLE OF THE CHURCHES AND OF OLD PEOPLE'S ORGANIZATIONS IN TWO AREAS OF VANCOUVER i:4 The Areas Studied. Living Conditions of the People in Area A. Recreational Resources in Area A. The Churches' Recreational Program for the Aged. Living Conditions and the People in Area B. Recreational Resources in Area B. The Churches' Recreational Program for the Aged in Area B. The Role of the Old Peoples' Organizations. The Old Age Pensioners' Organizations Summary. CHAPTER III SOME SPECIFIC RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR SENIOR CITIZENS 33 Leisure Time Activities Provided by a Branch of the Old Age Pensioners' Organization, Area A. The Happy Hours Club. Gordon House. Old Age Pension-ers' Branch, Area B. An Experimental Program Offered by a Church. Alexandra Neighbourhood House. Summary. CHAPTER IV THE SITUATION REVIEWED 51 Some Limitations of the Survey. The Nature and Extent of Existing Recreational Resources. Some Observations on the Use Made of the Resources. Recommendations. APPENDIX A-l QUESTIONNAIRE TO THE SENIOR CITIZENS' ORGANIZATION. APPENDIX A-2 QUESTIONNAIRE TO THE MINISTERS. APPENDIX B MAP SHOWING THE BOUNDARIES OF THE AREAS STUDIED. ACKNOWLEDGMENT With gratitude to the Lions' Ladies Club who initiated this study by their bursary. Many thanks are extended to the people who gave of their time, knowledge and experience in the problems of the aged, to the formulation of this survey. The sincerest of thanks must also go to Mr. M. Wheeler for reading and correcting the material and to my colleagues for their continuing encouragement, interest and moral support. CHAPTER I THE USE OF LEISURE-TIME BY THE AGED: PROBLEM AMD OPPORTUNITY Problems created by the increase in the number of the aged in our population are only beginning to be realized at the present time. Improved public health measures, advances in surgery and medicine, improved knowledge of hygiene and nutrition, and general improvements in the North American standard of livi n g have a l l contributed to the increase in l i f e expectancy during the present century.^- This, coupled with the declining birth rate of the pre-war years, has resulted in an increasing proportion of the population being composed of persons over the age of sixty-five years. In Canada, the proportion of persons aged sixty-five years and over increased from five per cent of the total population at the beginning of this century to nearly eight per cent in 19§1. The proportion in British Columbia i s nearly eleven per cent and the numbers involved—approximately 150,000 persons—give added urgency to the social and economic problems of the older person in this province. The use of leisure-time presents some of the most d i f f i c u l t problems for the ageing person in our society. The Twentieth Century in North America has been aptly described as -LSee, for example, Kessler, Henry H., The Principles and Practices of Rehabilitation, Philadelphia, Lea and Ferbiger, 1950. the Century of Children. An increased emphasis on youth and the problems of children i n our changing society has brought about a heavy concentration of services to t h i s seg-ment of the population and,to a large extent has meant that the problems of the aged have been given l e s s attention. These problems are exacerbated when, as i s often the case, the older person i s compelled to r e t i r e from h i s normal employment on reaching a certain chronological age, regardless of his physical a b i l i t y to continue working or his own wishes i n the matter. The s i t u a t i o n of the forty-or f i f t y - y e a r - o l d man who finds the employment f i e l d barred to him because of his age i s even more devastating i n i t s e f f e c t s . For many of our senior c i t i z e n s , then leisure-time becomes an enforced con-d i t i o n of t h e i r l i v e s and a condition which may carry with i t many negative associations. For others more fortunate r e t i r e -ment i s part of a c a r e f u l l y planned l i f e , and f o r such people the added leisure-time may well prove a f r u i t f u l and s a t i s f y -ing experience. It i s safe to assume that certain problems associated with the use of leisure-time are common to most senior c i t i z e n s these w i l l be discussed i n general terms before examining, the p a r t i c u l a r needs of the groups who form the subject of the present study. The Social Problems of the Aged In North American culture a premium i s placed upon independence and productivity, and the v i s i b l e sign of both i s 2Kurtz, Russell H. ed. Social Work Year Book, 1947, "white House Conference 1940, "Russell Sage Foundation, N. Y., 1947. - 3 -i n a t e r i a l w e a l t h . S t a t u s i n t h e c o m m u n i t y , f o r b o t h t h e b r e a d -w i n n e r a n d h i s f a m i l y , i s d i r e c t l y r e l a t e d t o p r o d u c t i v i t y a n d m a t e r i a l w e a l t h . W i t h r e t i r e m e n t , h o w e v e r , t h e m a n f a c e s a c h a n g e b o t h i n h i s s o c i a l r o l e a s a p r o d u c t i v e m e m b e r o f s o c i e t y a n d i n h i s r o l e a s f a m i l y p r o v i d e r a n d o f t e n f a m i l y t i e s a r e a l r e a d y b e i n g l o o s e n e d t h r o u g h m a r r i a g e o f t h e c h i l d r e n o r p e r h a p s d e a t h o f t h e s p o u s e . T e c h n o l o g i c a l a n d s c i e n t i f i c a d v a n c e s i n d a y t o d a y l i v i n g m a y a l s o f r e q u e n t l y \ ^ o r k h a r d s h i p s o n t h e o l d e r p e r s o n . I t i s n o t e a s y f o r h i m t o a s s i m i l a t e n e w i d e a s o r t o d e v e l o p n e w s k i l l s a n d t h e p r o c e s s o f a d j u s t m e n t i s f r e q u e n t l y m a d e m o r e d i f f i c u l t b y t h e r e s t r i c t i o n s i m p o s e d o n h i s a c t i v i t i e s a n d i n t e r e s t s b y h i s m e a g r e f i n a n c i a l r e s o u r c e s . F e w s e n i o r c i t i z e n s , f o r e x a m p l e , c a n a f f o r d t o o w n t e l e v i s i o n s e t s o r o t h e r e l e c t r i c a l a p p l i a n c e s , y e t t h e y m u s t l i v e i n a s o c i e t y w h e r e s u c h t h i n g s a r e t a k e n f o r g r a n t e d b y y o u n g e r p e o p l e . S i m i l a r l y , r e c r e a t i o n i s d e p e n d e n t t o a l a r g e d e g r e e o n t r a n s -p o r t a t i o n a n d t h e c o s t o f t h i s m a y b e m o r e t h a n t h e o l d e r p e r s o n c a n a f f o r d . P h y s i c a l h e a l t h i s a n o t h e r i m p o r t a n t f a c t o r i n a g e i n g a n d o n e w h i c h i s o f c o n s t a n t c o n c e r n t o m a n y o l d e r p e o p l e . C h a n g e s i n g e n e r a l b o d i l y t o n u s , d i s a b i l i t i e s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h a g e , t h e c o s t s o f m e d i c a l c a r e , a n d t h e p r o b l e m s c o - i n c i d e n t w i t h a r e d u c e d p h y s i c a l c a p a c i t y a r e a l l v e r y t h r e a t e n i n g a n d s e r v e t o u n d e r m i n e t h e o l d e r p e r s o n ' s s e n s e o f s e c u r i t y . I t i s g e n e r a l l y a g r e e d t h a t a g e b r i n g s w i t h i t c e r t a i n p h y s i c a l c h a n g e s s u c h a s d e t e r i o r a t i o n o f s i g h t , h e a r i n g o r m u s c u l a r a b i l i t y , a n a , o f c o u r s e , t h e aged a r e more s u b j e c t t o t h e s o - c a l l e d c h r o n i c d i s e a s e s . ^ C o n d i t i o n s s u c h as h e a r t a i l m e n t s , a r t h r i t i s , c a n c e r a n d m e n t a l i l l n e s s a l l show i n c r e a s e d i n c i d e n c e beyond t h e age 4 o f s i x t y - f i v e . Added t o t h e p r o b l e m s o f p h y s i c a l change a n d t h e l e s s e n i n g o f p h y s i c a l c a p a c i t y a r e t h e e m o t i o n s o f f e a r and a n x i e t y p r o m p t e d by t h e s e c h a n g e s . T h i s a d d i t i o n a l p s y c h o l o g i c a l b u r d e n must o f t e n be b o r n e w i t h o u t t h e h e l p o f f r i e n d l y c o u n s e l t o s h a r e t h e b u r d e n . F o r many o f t h e aged l o v e d ones a r e no l o n g e r a v a i l a b l e , and e v e n i f t h e y a r e , t h e y a r e o f t e n u n a b l e t o be o f any g r e a t c o m f o r t i n h e l p i n g t h e o l d e r p e r s o n t o cope w i t h t h e a n x i e t y a s s o c i a t e d w i t h n o r m a l a g e i n g p r o c e s s e s . Uther p s y c h o l o g i c a l p r o b l e m s c o n f r o n t t h e aged i n o u r c u l t u r e , l a r g e l y as a r e s u l t o f t h e a t t i t u d e t o w a r d , and t h e r o l e a s s i g n e d t h e aged i n o u r s o c i e t y . T h e r e i s a t e n d e n c y to c o n s i d e r t h e aged as a s p e c i a l c a t e g o r y o f p e o p l e who have s p e c i a l needs that i s o l a t e them from t h e g e n e r a l s t r e a m o f p o p u l a t i o n . Hence t h e p r a c t i c e of t h i n k i n g i n g r o u p t e r m s a b o u t t h e aged and the t e n d e n c y t o s e g r e g a t e them i n s p e c i a l i n s t i t u t i o n s o r i n s p e c i a l g r o u p s f o r p o l i t i c a l , s o c i a l and r e c r e a t i o n a l p u r p o s e s . T h i s s e g r e g a t i o n o f t h e aged p r e s e n t s c e r t a i n p r o b l e m s i n t h a t t h e p e c u l a r i t i e s o f some o f t h e members o f t h e g r o u p a r e more l i k e l y to g a i n p u b l i c r e c o g n i t i o n , w i t h t h e r e s u l t t h a t t h e e n t i r e g r o u p becomes " p e c u l i a r " i n t h e ^ S h i e g l i t z , Edward J . , e d i t o r , G e r i a t r i c M e d i c i n e , 3 r d . e d . J . B . L i p p i n c o t t C o . , P h i l a d e l p h i a , 195%~. 4 R e p o r t s o f t h e M e t r o p o l i t a n L i f e I n s u r a n c e C o . , t h e A m e r i H e a r t F o u n d a t i o n , and G o v e r n m e n t s r e p o r t s s u c h as t h e A n n u a l R e p o r of t h e P r o v i n c i a l M e n t a l H e a l t h S e r v i c e s , P r o v i n c e o f B r i t i s h C o l u m b i a , t e n d to b e a r o u t t h i s o b s e r v a t i o n . - 5 -e y e s o f t h e p u b l i c , i n a c t u a l f a c t , o n e f i n d s a f a i r l y r e p r e s e n t a t i v e c r o s s s e c t i o n o f p e r s o n a l i t i e s a m o n g s t t h e a g e d p o p u l a t i o n , b u t b e c a u s e t h e a g e d a r e b e c o m i n g m o r e n u m e r o u s , a n d b e c a u s e t h e p r o c e s s e s o f a g e i n g b r i n g a b o u t some s l o w i n g d o w n o f b o d i l y p r o c e s s e s a n d c r e a t e some a d d i t i o n a l s o c i a l p r o b l e m s , t h e r e i s a s t r o n g t e n d e n c y t o t y p e a l l s e n i o r c i t i z e n s i n t e r m s o f e c c e n t r i c i t i e s r a t h e r t h a n i n t e r m s o f h e a l t h y a d j u s t m e n t s o f a g e i n g . 7 The a g e d o r c o u r s e , do h a v e some n e e d s t h a t a r e p e c u l i a r t o t n e i r s i t u a t i o n o r a g e i n g i n a s o m e w h a t m a t e r i a l i s t i c s o c i e t y , a n d i t seems d e s l r a o i e t o e x a m i n e some o f t h e s e n e e d s a n d t h e . r e s o u r c e s a v a i l a b l e t o m e e t t h y m b e f o r e e x a m i n i n g t h e s p e c i f i c n e e d s a n d r e s o u r c e s i n v o l v e d i n t h e u s e o f l e i s u r e t i m e . T h e N e e d s o f t h e A g e d T h e n e e d s o r t h e a g e d ao n o t v a r y b a s i c a l l y f r o m t h e n e e d s o f t h e g e n e r a l p o p u l a t i o n . E s s e n t i a l l y , t h e s e a r e n e e d s f o r e c o n o m i c s e c u r i t y i n c l u d i n g f o o a , c l o t h i n g , s h e l t e r and. m e d i c a l c a r e , o n t h e o n e h a n d , a n d , o n t h e o t n e r , t n e n e e d f o r e m o t i o n a l a n d p s y c h o l o g i c a l s e c u r i t y w h i c h comes f r o m a s e n s e o r w o r t h a n d a d e g r e e o i ' s o c i a l p a r t i c i p a t i o n . F o r t h e s e n i o r c i t i z e n , e c o n o m i c s e c u r i t y c a n be a t t a i n e d by p r i v a t e m e a n s o r by p u b l i c p r o v i s i o n o f f i n a n c i a l a i d . i n C a n a d a t h e l a t t e r p r o v i s i o n i s made t h r o u g h l e g i s l a t i v e e n a c t m e n t a t t w o l e v e l s o f G o v e r n m e n t . 'The O l a A g e A s s i s t a n c e ^ u a v a n , B u r g e s s e t A i , P e r s o n a l A d j u s t m e n t i n O l d A g e , S c i e n c e R e s e a r c h A s s o c i a t e s i n c . , C h i c a g o , 1 9 4 9 . -fa-A c t 0 i s a F e d e r a l e n a b l i n g a c t t h a t permits P r o v i n c e s to grant c e r t a i n maximum allowances to persons over the Age of s i x t y -f i v e , on a c o s t - s h a r i n g b a s i s with the F e d e r a l (government. 7 The Old Age S e c u r i t y Act makes p r o v i s i o n f o r a l l persons over age seventy w i t h t e n years r e s i d e n c e i n the country to r e c e i v e a minimum payment each month without r e f e r e n c e s to the r e c i p i e n t s ' income from o t h e r sources. Supplementary a s s i s t a n c e of up to twenty d o l l a r s a month i s p a i d by the P r o v i n c e of B r i t i s h Columbia to anyone i n r e c e i p t of Ola Age A s s i s t a n c e of u l d Age A s s i s t a n c e or Old Age S e c u r i t y who meets c e r t a i n r e s i d e n c e requirements and whose t o t a l income does not exceed §1,020 per annum i n the case of a s i n g l e person and $1,800 i n the case of a m a r r i e d couple. Even wi t h t h i s supplementary a s s i s t a n c e the meeting of b a s i c needs f o r food, c l o t h i n g , and s h e l t e r , i s o f t e n a most d i f f i c u l t problem f o r the s e n i o r c i t i z e n . M e d i c a l care i s p r o v i d e d to the r e c i p i e n t s of Old Age A s s i s t a n c e or of the Old Age s e c u r i t y p e n s i o n who q u a l i f y on the b a s i s of a means t e s t f o r the supplementary allowance, but some a n c i l l a r y medical s e r v i c e s are d i f f i c u l t f o r the s e n i o r c i t i z e n to o b t a i n . Such t h i n g s as d e n t a l care, p r o s t h e t i c a p p l i a n c e s , and s p e c i a l medications are not always p r o v i d e d f o r the r e c i p i e n t of o l d age allowance w i t h the r e s u l t t h a t h i s enjoyment of such t h i n g s as r e a d i n g or l i s t e n i n g to the r a d i o may be l i m i t e d f o r want o f g l a s s e s or h e a r i n g a i d s . DAn Act to p r o v i d e f o r Old Age A s s i s t a n c e , Assented to 30th June, 1951. 15 George VI 7 I b i d . -7-Moreover, because.of the method used for re-imbursing medical practitioners who attend senior citizens under public asupices, some doctors are reluctant to make house calls or even to provide office service unless i t i s a matter of dire emergency since this type of practice i s relatively unrewarding for the medical profession. Hospitalization also presents a problem for the aged person on a marginal income since i t is d i f f i c u l t in the f i r s t place to gain admission to hospital, and, secondly, i t is often d i f f i c u l t to maintain l i v i n g accommodation i f the hospitalization i s to be extended over a period of time. Thus the senior citizen is often confronted with the alternative of either foregoing necessary medical treatment in hospital in order to preserve his l i v i n g arrangements, or of going into hospital and taking the risk of having no accommodation to return to when the time comes for discharge. Housing, of course, i s one of the most vexing and d i f f i c u l t problems facing the person on a marginal income and the senior citizen receiving some form of public assistance has to make many compromises in order to find any form of accommodation. In British .Columbia the problem is aggravated by the rapid growth of population i n the large urban centres. While the moderate climate tends to attract many people at retirement, the expanding economy of the province since World War I I has attracted a much larger group of young people with greater earning capacity than the senior citizen and this has undoubtedly created a situation of high land values and high rentals in housing. Caught in the squeeze between rising rent - o -l e v e i s o n t n e o n e n a n a a n a a l i m i t e d i n c o m e o n t h e o t h e r a r e e v e n t u a l l y t o a c c e p t a d r a s t i c r e d u c t i o n i n t n e s t a n d a r d o f h o u s i n g t n e y c a n a f f o r d t o o c c u p y . I t h a s "been d e m o n s t r a t e d t n a t s u b - s t a n d a r d h o u s i n g i s c i o s e l y a s s o c i a t e d w i t h p o o r h e a l t h , b o t h p h y s i c a l a n d m e n t a l , a n d w i t h a n e x a c e r b a t i o n o o f s o c i a l p r o b l e m s . T h e s e a d d i t i o n a l s t r e s s e s o n t h e s e n i o r c i t i z e n s o f m a r g i n a l i n c o m e m u s t c r e a t e p s y c h o l o g i c a l p r o b l e m s t h a t c o m p l i c a t e t n e s i m p l e p r o b l e m s o f p r o v i d i n g f o o a , c l o t h i n g a n a s h e l t e r . I t i s g e n e r a l l y r e c o g n i z e d t h a t w h i l e t h e r e c a n be n o e f f e c t i v e s u b s t i t u t e f o r a n a d e q u a t e i n c o m e , d e c e n t h o u s i n g a n d p r o p e r m e d i c a l c a r e , many o f t h e p h y s i c a l a n d p s y c h o l o g i c a l s t r e s s e s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h a g e i n g c a n b e a m e l i o r a t e d b y c o n s t r u c t i v e u s e o f l e i s u r e t i m e . The p r o v i s i o n o f r e c r e a t i o n a l f a c i l i t i e s i n d e p r e s s e d a r e a s i n many c i t i e s t h r o u g h o u t N o r t h A m e r i c a h a s s e e m i n g l y b r o u g h t a b o u t p o s i t i v e c h a n g e i n t h e a d j u s t m e n t s o f t h e r e s i d e n t s o f t h e s e a r e a s . 9 I n v i e w o f t h i s , i t s e e m s l o g i c a l t o a s s u m e t h a t r e c r e a t i o n m i g h t , h e l p t h e s e n i o r c i t i z e n t o c o p e w i t h t h e m u l t i t u d e o f f r u s t r a t i o n s t h a t a t t e n d h i s d a i l y l i f e . The M e a n i n g o f R e c r e a t i o n f o r t h e A g e d M o d e r n t h i n k i n g o n t h e s u b j e c t o f p e r s o n a l i t y g r o w t h a n d d e v e l o p m e n t h a s g i v e n r i s e t o t h e c o n c e p t t h a t f o o d , c l o t h i n g a n d s h e l t e r a r e n o t s u f f i c i e n t t o m e e t t h e n e e d s o f p e o p l e i f l i f e i s t o b r i n g a s e n s e o f f u l f i l m e n t . - • o Common Human N e e d s . C h a r l o t t e T o w l e , A m e r i c a n A s s o c i a t i o n o f . S o c i a l W o r k e r s , New Y o r k , 16, N . Y . 1955. o S a n F r a n c i s c o -9-A-ll people seem to require acceptance and recognition of their inherent worth and dignity as human beings. This acceptance is sought as much in recreative pursuits as in other activities, and for the senior citizen who has much leisure time, his sense of worth is probably more often strengthened in his leisure time acti v i t i e s than in his other l i f e routines. Kaplan has suggested that recreation refers to "any activity that is either creative or recreative and which gives emotional satisfaction to the person involved. It i s the aspect of emotional satisfaction that is of importance in considering the meaning of recreation to the aged. The older person, removed from productive employment, must find his satisfactions in non-productive activity. Creativeness can play a part in this, but many senior citizens are inexperienced at expressing latent creativity, and these must derive emotional satisfaction from other aspects of their recreative lives. It Is probable that many senior citizens derive satisfaction from social contacts and from group acceptance expressed in "doing together", and that recreation of this type i s the most meaningful way of u t i l i z i n g leisure time for senior citizens. In some ways, i t i s lik e l y that group ac t i v i t i e s and interests replace the close ties of family which have been lost or weakened. Following on this principle, however, i t would be logical to assume that recreation for the aged should be a part of overall community recreation, in order to provide a sense 1 0Kaplan, Jerome, A Social Program for Older People, The University of Minnesota Press,. Minneapolis,. .1953,- p.- 7 -10-of continuity with former family ties by the participation of a l l age groups. In practice, this does not seem to be too successful, although some special agencies have such comprehensive programmes which are well attended by the aged. Actually, in recreation i t seems that the aged prefer the less intense programmes of their own age grouping, except in mass programmes such as concerts where the recreation is of a passive nature and requires very l i t t l e investment of "self" to effect a successful programme. Recreation for the aged can have various meanings, according to the unique situation of. each older person. For the person who lives in relative discomfort, recreation may be the means of dispelling loneliness, of providing physical comfort or of offering activities that help to relieve anxiety, even i f only temporarily. For others, recreation may provide an opportunity to remove themselves for a time from the rush and pressure of family l i v i n g , while others may find status and recognition from belonging to a group composed of former work associates. In addition to these more personal forms of moti-vation to participate in leisure time activity, there i s the factor of service to others. In the North American culture, men have made much use of the group approach in dealing with social issues and meeting community needs. As a result, organizations such as service clubs, housing associations, etc., have grown up. Senior citizens who have identified with such community groups in younger years may s t i l l derive personal satisfaction from such act i v i t i e s , and at the same -11-time make an important contribution to their fellow men. such people can also bring to community groups a background of experience which, i f used intelligently, can be extremely valuable. Method of Study The problems of increasing numbers of senior citizens in the population, together with the special problems they present in regard to the use of leisure-time, raise certain important questions. Eoremost among these i s , of course, the question of the nature of existing recreational resources, their availability to the general population, and their availability to senior, citizens. In 1954 a survey was made of recreation services for the aged in the city of Vancouver.'1""*" This was a factual survey of the number and types of existing services, and did not concern i t s e l f with an evaluation of the adequacy of the programmes provided. The study did, however, point up the need for an evaluation of programmes and of the amount of participation in them by the senior citizens, and i t focussed attention on certain c r i t i c a l areas in Vancouver. The purpose of the present study i s to assess the effectiveness of existing resources in meeting the re-creational needs of older people in two distinct areas in the city. It also attempts to throw some light on the meaning of recreation to the older person, and the extent to which he is willing or able to involve himself in meeting his own recreational needs. The survey was restricted to two well-1 1 Grant, Joan, Recreational ^ Interests and Actiy.ities for Senior Citizens ±n—Vaiii!uuvbii,t Scliuul uf Ouuial Wurk, University of British Columbia,. .1954. - 1 2 -defined areas of the city of Vancouver, the boundaries of which are shown on the map in Appendix B. These areas vrere selected for study because of the heavy concentration of old people in them and because of certain distinct socio-economic characteristics which have an important bearing on the well-being of the old people resident in the areas. Information about these areas and about the recreational needs and resources in them was obtained from observation in the f i e l d , from interviews with staff of social and recreational agencies, from interviews with senior citizens and persons interested in the problems of senior citizens, and through the use of questionnaires directed to special groups in the areas. The special groups selected were churches and senior citizens' organizations, and the information sought related to the kinds of recreational act i v i t i e s provided by these groups, the level of participation by senior citizens, and the needs for developing further recreational resources in the two areas. The replies to the questionnaires provided some indication of the number of resources available and levels of participation, but by themselves did not give sufficient information on which to base a proper evaluation of the program or of their value in meeting needs of the senior citizens. Accordingly, follow-up interviews were arranged with the respondents to the questionnaires. The questionnaires and the groups to whom they were sent are shown in Appendix A. - 1 3 -Chapter II describes the socio-economic character-i s t i c s of the two areas and analyzes the findings of the survey separately for the two areas i n terms of the recreat-i o n a l resources available and the use made of them by older people. Chapter III includes a q u a l i t a t i v e evaluation of: the services, based on interviews with key personnel involved i n the programs, and attempts to i d e n t i f y the kinds of recreational needs f o r which there i s no provision e i t h e r i n the exi s t i n g structure of services or i n the programs themselves. CHAPTER I I RECREATIONAL RESOURCES FOR THE AGED: THE ROLE OF THE CHURCHES AND OF OLD PEOPLE'S ORGANIZATIONS IN TWO AREAS OF VANCOUVER THE AREAS STUDIED Two areas were i n c l u d e d i n the survey, the f i r s t comprising the West End and Downtown d i s t r i c t s and the second c o n s i s t i n g o f the area l y i n g south o f F a l s e Creek and bounded by Main S t r e e t on the east and T r a f a l g a r on the west. The p r e c i s e boundaries of the two areas are shown on the map i n c l u d e d i n appendix B and although unimportant i n themselves, they have the advantage f o r purposes o f comparison o f c o r r e s -ponding to the boundaries o f p a r t i c u l a r census t r a c t s . ^ For convenience of r e f e r e n c e , West End and Downtown d i s t r i c t s w i l l be r e f e r r e d to as area A throughout the study and the d i s t r i c t south o f F a l s e Creek as area B. L i f t i n g C o n d i t i o n s of the People i n Area A The two d i s t r i c t s i n c l u d e d i n area A are q u i t e d i s -t i n c t . The West End s e c t i o n r e f l e c t s i n the a r c h i t e c t u r e o f i t s b u i l d i n g s the t r a n s i t i o n from a f i r s t - c l a s s r e s i d e n t i a l d i s t r i c t o f f i f t y years ago to a mediocre rooming-house area which i n t u r n i s now g r a d u a l l y being r e p l a c e d by apartment b u i l d i n g s c a t e r i n g p r i n c i p a l l y to the upper-income groups o f the p o p u l a t i o n . Thus i t i s not uncommon to f i n d rooming houses i n v a r i o u s stages of d e t e r i o r a t i o n s i d e by s i d e w i t h spacious, w e l l - p l a n n e d apartment d w e l l i n g s . "'"Area A comprises census t r a c t s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 , 6. Area B census t r a c t s 14, 15, 16, 22, 21. D. B. S. Census o f Canada 1956, B u l l e t i n CT-11. -15-In contrast to the West End which is primarily-residential, the Downtown area with certain exceptions is chiefly commerical. The exceptions are a few older houses, some hotel accommodation and rooms located in and around the d i s t r i c t known as "skid road". This'latter d i s t r i c t , although small in area, accommodates a large group of socially and p economically marginal families and single people. Rents for the most part are cheap and much of the accommodation consists of single housekeeping rooms so that i t is not surprising to find the area inhabited by a large number of elderly people: of limited means, most of whom are l i v i n g on their own. r- A wide range of incomes is found among the residents of the West End, ranging from very small pensions to unusually large private means. In the main, however, the construction of large modern apartment buildings has attracted a large number of more affluent residents. The elderly population i s distributed among a l l income groups, but because of the relatively cheap accommodation in many of the older homes in the area, there tends to be a heavier concentration of old people l i v i n g on small pensions of one form or another. Recreational Resources in Area A Recreational resources in Area A may be thought of as being of two kinds; on the one hand there are those designed information obtained from the Old-'Age Pensions Board indicates that approximately 30 per cent of the senior citizens on current case loads reside in the "skid-road" area. -16-specially for the area, and on the other there are those intended to serve the population of greater Vancouver. Judging by the replies to the questionnaire used in the survey, there i s a paucity of recreational resources designed primarily for the residents of Area A; however, within the area there is a preponderance of recreational f a c i l i t i e s available to the whole city, and i t i s apparent that many senior citizens in the area avail themselves of these f a c i l i t i e s and especially of those that require no financial outlay. Some of these resources are Stanley Park, Georgia Auditorium, the Main Brank of the Vancouver Public Library, theatres, bowling alleys, b i l l i a r d halls, etc. Some special mention should be made of Stanley Park since the senior citizens interviewed in conjunction with this survey have reported that they availed themselves of many of i t s resources. The park provides such f a c i l i t i e s as outdoor checker-boards, lawn bowling, outdoor symphony concerts, "pitch and putt" golf, outdoor dances (particularly square dances and national dances) and just friendly conversation with visitors to the park.^ Besides these more obvious recreational act i v i t i e s i t is evident that a number of other institutions i n the area have become an important source of satisfaction to the older people in spending their leisure time. These include p a r t i c i -pation in casual assemblies at second-hand stores, auction ^One senior citizen reported that for twenty years he has found a l l his li v i n g accommodation through people he met in Stanley Park. -17-houses, railway and shipping stations, and in smaller parks, such as Victory Square. For senior citizens, the chief recreational value of these resources is the opportunity to gather with people of their own age and to derive some sense of sharing in the daily l i f e of the city. One of the few recreational services designed specially for a sub-group of the residents is Gordon Neigh-bourhood House, which is situated in the West End d i s t r i c t . Gordon House is an unique type of recreational source in this area in that i t functions as a social agency designed to meet recreational needs of the residents of the area. Special programs under professional social work leadership are available to the senior citizens, and in addition counselling services are provided by trained social workers. Other less structured resources are available in the area, such as the First United Church, Happy Hours Club and the St. James Branch of the Old Age Pensioners Organization.^ The Churches' Recreational Program for the Aged. Twelve churches of various denominations are located in Area A. In order to ascertain the approximate number of senior citizens in the congregations and the kinds of leisure time acti v i t i e s provided over and above the regular services, the co-operation of the ministers of these churches was sought in answering a mailed questionnaire (See Appendix A). "^The Church and Senior Citizens Clubs are discussed more extensively in a separate, section of this chapter. - 1 8 -S i x m i n i s t e r s r e p l i e d t o t h e q u e s t i o n n a i r e , t h e r r e p l i e s v a r y i n g b o t h i n r a n g e a n d i n f o r m a t i o n g i v e n and p e r t i -nence o f a n s w e r s . I t was n o t e d t h a t a l l o f t h e c h u r c h e s r e p o r t e d a s u b s t a n t i a l number o f o l d e r p e o p l e i n t h e i r c o n g r e g a t i o n s , t h e a c t u a l number i n f o u r o f t h e c h u r c h e s b e i n g o v e r one h u n d r e d . I t was n o t p o s s i b l e , u n f o r t u n a t e l y , t o d e t e r m i n e f rom t h e i n f o r m a t i o n g i v e n w h e t h e r t h e r e h a d been any s i g n i f i c a n t i n c r e a s e o r d e c r e a s e i n t h e number o f s e n i o r c i t i z e n s a t t e n d i n g o v e r t h e p a s t f i v e - y e a r p e r i o d . However , o f t h e f o u r c h u r c h e s r e p l y i n g t o t h i s p a r t o f t h e q u e s t i o n n a i r e , two t h o u g h t t h a t t h e r e h a d b e e n a n o t i c e a b l e i n c r e a s e , w h i l e one r e p o r t e d t h a t t h e r e h a d been n o i s i g n i f i c a n t c h a n g e ; t h e i n f o r m a t i o n p r o v i d e d i n t h e f o u r t h i n s t a n c e was i n c o n c l u s i v e . W h i l e i t i s r e c o g n i z e d t h a t t h e s p i r i t u a l h e l p a n d c o m f o r t p r o v i d e d by o r g a n i z e d c h u r c h p r o g r a m s i s o f i n e s t i m a b l e v a l u e t o many o l d e r p e o p l e , no a t t e m p t was made t o c o v e r t h i s a s p e c t i n t h e e v a l u a t i o n o f t h e c h u r c h e s ' p r o g r a m s f o r o l d e r p e o p l e . A c c o r d i n g l y , t h e f o c u s o f t h e q u e s t i o n n a i r e was o n t h o s e l e i s u r e t i m e a c t i v i t i e s t h a t t h e c h u r c h e s o f f e r e d i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e r e g u l a r r e l i g i o u s s e r v i c e s . F o u r o f t h e s i x c h u r c h e s r e p l y i n g t o t h e q u e s t i o n n a i r e r e p o r t e d r e c r e a t i o n a l and s o c i a l p r o g r a m s o f one k i n d o r a n o t h e r , b e s i d e s t h e r e g u l a r r e l i g i o u s s e r v i c e s . One o f t h e c h u r c h e s o f f e r e d s p e c i a l l e i s u r e t i m e a c t i v i t i e s f o r young p e o p l e o n l y , w h i l e t h r e e c h u r c h e s i n t h e a r e a r e p o r t e d p r o g r a m s e s p e c i a l l y r e l a t e d t o t h e needs o f s e n i o r c i t i z e n s , as w e l l a s p r o g r a m s open t o a l l age g r o u p s . -19-The programs offered by the churches vary from church to church. Two churches indicated that they had women's auxiliaries' and a men's club, but none of these groups were described in sufficient detail to give a complete picture of their interests or the purposes of the programs. A third church, however, reported that i t had a men's club which the minister described as devotional, recreational and social. Other activities reported were bible classes, retired folks fellowship clubs, guilds and women's associations, but none-of these vere described in sufficient detail to give a clear idea of what was involved In the program, or to what extent the church members were participating. No indication was given by any of the churches reporting as to whether or not additional activities were needed or desirable, or i f plans were under consideration for the implementation of further programs within the church. The ministers reporting from churches in Area A fe l t that special efforts were needed to bring the senior citizens to church. Special efforts suggested by the ministers included personal invitations and social activities, as well as church services. Furthermore, two ministers saw the need for special efforts directed toward assisting the older person to participate in social programs; they attached particular importance to the place of personal contact by leaders who understood senior citizens and to the need for club rooms where the senior citizens might enjoy games and music. Three ministers were of the opinion that special efforts were unnecessary. - 2 0 -The questionnaire directed to the ministers in Area A asked for their opinions as to the need for additional recreational f a c i l i t i e s in the areas served by their churches. The majority of them replied that they were aware of such needs and lis t e d as the most important the need for a reading room, a recreation room, a day centre and club rooms operated especially for senior citizens. One minister in Area A reported that he did not see any need for any leisure time activity. Living Conditions and the People in Area B: Area B, like Area A, is characterized by marked differences in housing standards and income levels of the.-residents. The section from Main Street to Cambie Street is primarily one of older homes that have been converted to rooming houses. The section west of Cambie Street is grad-ually being f i l l e d with large and expensive apartment build-ings that are replacing private dwellings and rooming houses. These differences are particularly noticeable north of Seventh Avenue to the water front, where from Main Street to Burrard Street the housing shows severe signs of blight, while west of Burrard many large and comfortable .apartment dwellings have arisen in the past fifteen years. As in Area A, i t is not uncommon to find in these transitional di s t r i c t s large apartment buildings side by side with deteriorated rooming houses. Occupations and incomes in the area range from those of semi-skilled and unskilled labourers to those of semi-professional and professional people, the majority of the latter being found in the western section of the area in either private homes or apartments. The incidence of people who enjoy very high incomes is much smaller in this area than in Area A. Among the other members of the popu-lation a sizeable number have lived in the area most of their working lives. There are in addition a growing number of pensioners who have moved into the area from the West End and Downtown d i s t r i c t s . This movement of older people into the area has been particularly pronounced during the last five or .six years ;and i s obviously connected with the numerous demolitions that have taken place in the West End and Downtown d i s t r i c t s . Many of the buildings demolished were formerly rooming houses which provided relatively cheap accommodation for pensioners who have been forced to seek alternative accommodation in other cheap rental areas in the city, one of which consists of the easterly part of Area B. Recreational Resources in Area B. Area B differs from the other area surveyed in that i t has fewer recreational resources than are available to the city as a whole. An important one, however, i s the Kitsilano Beach which besides i t s bathing f a c i l i t i e s has a community program that includes the "Show Boat." The "Show Boat" i s an outdoor stage on which are presented programs provided by various amateur theatrical and concert groups in the city. The productions are free to spectators and are, accordingly, - 2 2 -well patronized by old age pensioners. On the other hand, Area B has considerably more organized l e i s u r e time programs f o r i t s residents, but the: findings of the survey indicate that only i n a few instances have special provisions been made for the needs of the senior c i t i z e n s . Resources such as K i t s i l a n o Community Centre, the Jewish Community Centre and Alexandra Neighbourhood House make some e f f o r t s .to provide programs f o r senior c i t i z e n s , with the Neighbourhood House making the most con-crete e f f o r t s . This program w i l l be discussed more f u l l y i n a l a t e r chapter. The Community Centre has not met with much response i n i t s attempts to organize programs f o r the senior c i t i z e n s , but has found that a small group of them make use of the F i e l d House i n Connaught Park,.a part of the Centre's physical plant. The men i n t h i s group-arrange t h e i r own recreational program which consists c h i e f l y of chess games or cards. The Jewish Community Centre o f f e r s a d e f i n i t e program f o r i t s senior c i t i z e n s , but i t has not' been possible to obtain much information about t h i s program. Other resources i n the area that meet some of the needs of senior c i t i z e n s are commercial theatres, of which there are four o f f e r i n g moderately priced admission, and a l i b r a r y . The theatres are well patronized by senior c i t i z e n s , but the l i b r a r y i s over-crowded and has small quarters which must be shared with children and, therefore, the senior c i t i z e n s f i n d t h i s to be of only l i m i t e d value. As i n Area A, i t was found that the senior c i t i z e n s -23-of Area B made use of resources that are not primarily designed to meet recreational needs. Chief among these i n Area B are the auction houses. Three of these are found i n the area and senior c i t i z e n s f i n d them to be warm, pleasant establishments i n which they can observe the progress of sales without having to make purchases. The Churches' Recreational Programs f o r the Aged i n Area B. .There are twenty-nine churches of various denomi-nations i n Area B. A l l the ministers were sent a question-naire, ten of which were returned. A l l the ministers reply-ing to the questionnaire reported a substantial number of senior c i t i z e n s i n t h e i r congregations. Three ministers gave the number to be over one hundred, four said i t was between f i f t y and one hundred, one that i t was under twenty-five. Other ministers f a i l e d to indicate the approximate number of senior c i t i z e n s attending. F i f t y per cent of the ministers reporting f e l t that the number of old people i n the congregation had changed over the past f i v e years. With one exception, an increase over the f i v e year period was reported, some of the ministers observing that a s i m i l a r trend was apparent among young members of the congregation. One minister reported that the number of older people had decreased and have as the cause, the mobility of the senior c i t i z e n s and the loss of members through death. In Area B, as i n Area A, the program offered by the churches vary from church to church. Six ministers, reported that they have some l e i s u r e time program. Five of -24-these programs were d e s c r i b e d by the m i n i s t e r s as s o c i a l a c t i v i t i e s which were open to a l l a d u l t members of the congregation. There was only one m i n i s t e r who r e p o r t e d a s p e c i a l l e i s u r e - t i m e , a c t i v i t y f o r s e n i o r c i t i z e n s i n h i s congregation. The a c t i v i t i e s i n d i c a t e d were women's a s s o c i a t i o n s , women's m i s s i o n a r y s o c i e t i e s and meetings. There was, however, no d e s c r i p t i o n g i v e n o f the nature o f the meetings or a s s o c i a t i o n s . Other a c t i v i t i e s l i s t e d were cl u b s and t h e a t r i c a l performances i n a church attended by members of a p a r t i c u l a r e t h n i c group. Other a c t i v i t i e s mentioned were men's c l u b s , women's a u x i l i a r i e s , mothers' f e l l o w s h i p meetings, b i b l e c l a s s e s , m i s s i o n a r y meetings and a c h o i r . The c h o i r was a t t a c h e d to a Lutheran church, but the nature of the membership was not g i v e n . F i v e m i n i s t e r s r e p o r t i n g from churches i n Area B s t a t e d t h a t the members o f t h e i r congregations have made s p e c i a l e f f o r t s to encourage the o l d e r people to a t t e n d church s e r v i c e s and to p a r t i c i p a t e i n the l i f e o f the church. In one case t r a n s p o r t a t i o n to church was p r o v i d e d f o r o l d e r mothers who were alone on Mother's Day. Other s p e c i a l attempts mentioned were p e r s o n a l i n v i t a t i o n s , g i v i n g the pensi o n e r s a s p e c i a l welcome and h e l p i n g them t o f e e l t h a t they have a p l a c e i n the congregation. The importance o f t r a n s p o r t a t i o n was s t r e s s e d by one church where the p r o v i s i o n of t h i s had r e s u l t e d i n the attendance of more o l d people a t the s e r v i c e s . One m i n i s t e r was of the o p i n i o n t h a t s p e c i a l e f f o r t s were unnecessary, but he f a i l e d to g i v e the reasons upon which h i s o p i n i o n s were based. -25-Opinions o f the m i n i s t e r s r e p o r t i n g from Area B v a r i e d as to whether s p e c i a l e f f o r t s were needed to encourage o l d e r persons to p a r t i c i p a t e more f u l l y i n the r e c r e a t i o n p r o v i d e d by the churches. The need f o r r e c r e a t i o n a l f a c i l i -t i e s was s t r e s s e d and a l s o the d e s i r a b i l i t y o f p r o v i d i n g s p e c i a l rooms f o r s e n i o r c i t i z e n s to meet i n . U s u a l l y the churches do and can a f f o r d t h i s s p e c i a l accommodation. The p r o v i s i o n o f t r a n s p o r t a t i o n was seen as an e f f e c t i v e means o f g e t t i n g people to church, and a l s o as a way of conveying to the o l d people the f e e l i n g t h a t they were wanted. One o f the m i n i s t e r s had found the pens i o n e r s the most w i l l i n g and c a r e f u l workers around the church. Recrea-t i o n was seen as a medium f o r h a p p i e r s o c i a l adjustment o f the s e n i o r c i t i z e n s by two m i n i s t e r s . These men saw a need f o r r e c r e a t i o n a l rooms which c o u l d be e s p e c i a l l y a s s i g n e d to the p e n s i o n e r s . T h i s need, hovever, was not seen by a l l m i n i s t e r s i n Area B. The Role of the Old Peoples O r g a n i z a t i o n s A s p e c i a l q u e s t i o n n a i r e was m a i l e d t o the e x e c u t i v e s of e l e v e n Old Peoples O r g a n i z a t i o n s , (see appendix ) The purpose of t h i s q u e s t i o n n a i r e was to d i s c o v e r what s o r t o f p r o v i s i o n these o r g a n i z a t i o n s made f o r r e c r e a t i o n , and to determine what ggniorfcii?ize.nscc.ohMdered;;.to.lbe important r e c r e a t i o n a l needs. Only f i v e q u e s t i o n n a i r e s were re t u r n e d , three from Area A, and two from Area B. Since these q u e s t i o n -n a i r e s were sent to v a r i o u s types o f o l d age pensioners groups and s i n c e the responses were very unevenly d i s t r i b u t e d -26-between Area A and Area B, i t i s d i f f i c u l t to make any com -parisons between the two areas. It was therefore decided to combine the findings of the f i v e questionnaires f o r purposes of examination and interpretation, without making s p e c i f i c reference to the areas i n which the organizations are located. Since three of the f i v e groups replying were a f f i l i a t e s of the B. C. Pensioners Organization, and since membership i n these a f f i l i a t e branches i s not dependent on area of r e s i -dence of the member, the responses i n these three question-naires cannot be considered t r u l y representative of senior c i t i z e n s l i v i n g i n a s p e c i f i c geographical area. Replies were received from three branches of the Old Age Pensioners Organization, one Friendly Aid Society, and one r e t i r e d employee pensioner group. The two groups replying from Area B were branches of the Old Age Pensioners Organization, while only one branch of t h i s organization r e p l i e d from Area A, but the two other groups that r e p l i e d were from Area A. Old Afce Pensioners Organization. The three d i s t r i c t branches replying to the question-naire reported that they were established between the years 1953 to 1955. Membership i n the branches was as follows: Women 185 50 56 The purpose of the branches i s stated as a wish to improve the l i v i n g conditions and f i n a n c i a l standards of Men Club A . 50 Club B 38 Club c: 231 -27-p e n s l b n e r s . W h i l e t h i s s t a t e d p u r p o s e t e n d s , a c c o r d i n g t o t h e r e p l i e s r e c e i v e d , t o l e a d t h e g r o u p s i n t o s t r o n g s o c i a l a c t i o n t h a t f r e q u e n t l y i n c l u d e s p o l i t i c a l a c t i v i t y , a l l t h r e e g r o u p s i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e y s e r v e d a s e c o n d a r y p u r p o s e o f p r o v i d i n g r e c r e a t i o n a l o u t l e t s f o r members. One g r o u p r e p o r t e d a f a i r l y e x t e n s i v e p r o g r a m c e n t e r e d i n c l u b r o o m s p r o v i d e d by a c h u r c h . T h i s g r o u p ' s p r o g r a m i s e x a m i n e d more f u l l y i n a n o t h e r c h a p t e r . A s e c o n d g r o u p r e p o r t e d t w i c e - m o n t h l y m e e t i n g s d e v o t e d t o b u s i n e s s a n d r e c r e a t i o n , c h i e f l y o f t h e p a s s i v e e n t e r t a i n m e n t t y p e , w h i l e t h e t h i r d g r o u p r e p o r t e d t h a t s u c h a c t i v i t i e s as s p e c i a l f i l m s h o w i n g s a n d f r i e n d s h i p m e e t i n g s as w e l l as t h e r e g u l a r g e n e r a l m e e t i n g s . A l t h o u g h t h e q u e s t i o n n a i r e i n c l u d e d q u e s t i o n s a b o u t t h e s e n i o r c i t i z e n s ' o p i n i o n s a b o u t unmet r e c r e a t i o n a l n e e d s , t h e r e s p o n s e s t o t h e s e q u e s t i o n s s u g g e s t t h a t t h e s e n i o r c i t i z e n s were more c o n c e r n e d a b o u t needs o t h e r t h a n r e c r e a t i o n a l , w i t h t h e r e s u l t t h a t no d e f i n i t e o p i n i o n s a b o u t r e c r e a t i o n a l needs were e l i c i t e d . . I n t h e m a i n , t h e r e s p o n s e s i n d i c a t e d t h a t m a t e r i a l needs were o f p r e d o m i n a n t i m p o r t a n c e and t e n d e d t o o v e r s h a d o w t h e needs f o r l e i s u r e t i m e a c t i v i t y . b . The F r i e n d l y A i d S o c i e t y T h i s s o c i e t y , w h i c h has been i n e x i s t e n c e f o r some y e a r s , has a m i x e d membership o f t h r e e h u n d r e d and s i x t y . I t s p u r p o s e s a r e s i m i l a r t o t h o s e o f t h e O l d Age P e n s i o n e r s O r g a n i z a t i o n s , b u t i n a d d i t i o n , t h e g r o u p -28-reports that i t serves certain recreational purposes. These are described as friendship groups interested in music, old-time dancing, theology, politics and current events. The group also has an active program of visiting sick members and their families. The groups members provide encouragement and advice to those who are sick or in distress, and one feels that this form of activity has recreational values for the members. Membership in this group consists to a large extent of people who claim pioneer status. While this is not a prerequisite for membership, a large sub-group does enjoy this particular status. g> A" Retired Employee Group This group, which was established in 1938, is of particular interest in that i t has a membership of eight hundred men and one hundred and fifty women. All members are former employees of a large company, and a l l have retired on company pensions. The company maintains an active interest in this group, providing club room facilities and occasional special events. The identifi-cation with the company by former employees who s t i l l have a pride in the progress of the company, together with the fact that many of the members have worked to-gether for years, makes this a particularly cohesive group. Retirement for these members also carries status and economic security, with the result that the club serves a more recreative function than the others discussed here. - 2 9 -R e c r e a t i o n r e s o u r c e s i n t h i s g r o u p i n c l u d e m o n t h l y m e e t i n g s w i t h s p e c i a l e n t e r t a i n m e n t , o r g a n i z e d a c t i v i t i e s s u c h a s c a r d s , b o w l i n g a n d b i l l i a r d s , a l l o f w h i c h a r e a v a i l a b l e i n t h e c l u b r o o m s . I n a d d i t i o n , t h e r e i s a r e a d i n g r o o m a v a i l a b l e f o r m e m b e r s a s w e l l a s o p p o r t u n i t y f o r i n f o r m a l m e e t i n g s w i t h o t h e r m e m b e r s . d . A M e n ' s H o s t e l A ' q u e s t i o n n a i r e w a s s e n t t o a l a r g e m e n ' s h o s t e l i n A r e a A , s i n c e s o m e r e c r e a t i o n a l p r o g r a m f o r m a l e s e n i o r c i t i z e n s w a s b e i n g o f f e r e d h e r e . I t w a s r e p o r t e d b y t h e r e p r e s e n t a t i v e o f t h i s h o s t e l t h a t a l a r g e g r o u p o f s e n i o r c i t i z e n s h a v e b e e n h o u s e d h e r e i n r e c e n t y e a r s a n d t h e n e e d f o r r e c r e a t i o n a l p r o g r a m f o r t h i s g r o u p h a s b e c o m e i n c r e a s i n g l y a p p a r e n t . F o r t h i s r e a s o n , p r o v i s i o n h a s b e e n m a d e f o r a c t i v i t i e s s u c h a s t a b l e g a m e s , m u s i c a l p r o g r a m s a n d f i l m s . D u r i n g t h e p a s t w i n t e r , t w o e v e n i n g s a w e e k w e r e g i v e n o v e r t o f i l m s f o r s e n i o r c i t i z e n s a l o n e , a n d a t t e n d a n c e a t t h e s e w a s r e p o r t e d a s b e i n g e x c e l l e n t . T h e r e p l y s e n t i n b y t h i s i n s t i t u t i o n w a s o n e o f t h e f e w r e c e i v e d t h a t m e n t i o n e d u n m e t n e e d s i n r e -c r e a t i o n f o r t h e a g e d , a n d d i s c u s s e d o n e g r o u p ' s a t t e m p t t o d e a l w i t h t h e o v e r a l l p r o b l e m o f r e c r e a t i o n f o r t h e s e o l d e r p e o p l e . B e c a u s e o f t h i s , m e n t i o n i s m a d e h e r e o f t h i s p r o g r a m , e v e n t h o u g h t h e i n s t i t u t i o n i s n o t s p e c i -f i c a l l y d e s i g n e d t o s e r v e r e c r e a t i o n a l n e e d s o f t h e a g e d p o p u l a t i o n . -30-Summary In both Area A"and Area B, i t was noted that recreational resources for senior citizens were of two main types according to their function in the community. One type of resource was designed to meet recreational needs of the specific area, while a second type was de-signed to serve a much larger population, but the residents of both areas made use of these as well as of the first type. Among the first type are agencies such as the Gordon Neighbourhood House in Area A'and the Alexander Neighbourhood House In Area B. Area B tended to have slightly more such resources than A r e a A, notably the Kitsilano Community Centre and the Jewish Community Centre. With respect to resources available to the city as a whole, however, Area A\had a preponderence of these, while Area B had only a few such resources. In Area A\were found such resources as Stanley P ark with a l l its recreational faci l i t ies , the Georgia Auditorium, the Main Branch of the Vancouver Public Library, and a great number of commercial recreation faci l i t ies such as movie theatre s, bowling alleys, etc. Area B had the Kitsilano Pool re-sources and a much smaller number of commercial recreational resources than Area A. The theatres in Area B were more e xtensively utilized by Senior citizens than were those in Area A, chiefly because the cost of such recreation in Area A'is rather prohibitive for people on limited income. -31-In both Area A and Area IE It was found that senior citizens made f u l l use of informal recreational resources. Such f a c i l i t i e s as auction houses, railway and shipping terminals and small parks were used by the senior citizens as meeting places and as places where they can participate in the day-by-day happenings of the city without too much cost. A?. questionnaire was circulated to key people in a-number of churches and senior citizens 1 organizations in both areas in an effort to determine the special roles of these types of agency in the areas being surveyed. Approximately forty per cent of the churches approached replied and responses indicated that the churches in both areas vary considerably from one communion to another in the amount of provision they make for recreation for the senior citizens. There was no significant difference as between Area A and- Area EE in the churches' interest in recreation for senior citizens; what differences there were, we re associated with individual churches rather than this type of area and ranged from complete lack of Interest to active and constructive concern. The churches that replied to the questionnaire gave l i t t l e clear re-commendation as to the needs of the aged for recreational services, but most referred to the obvious need for an expansion of programs. The responses to questionnaires seemed to reflect the churches' concern about the physical -32-n e e d s o f s e n i o r c i t i z e n s a n d b e c a u s e o f t h e o v e r -w h e l m i n g n a t u r e o f t h i s p r o b l e m , t h e l e s s t a n g i b l e e m o t i o n a l a n d l e i s u r e s - t i m e n e e d s o f t h e s e p e o p l e w e r e n o t o b j e c t i v e l y c o n s i d e r e d . T h e s e n i o r c i t i z e n s ' o r g a n i z a t i o n s r e p l y i n g t o t h e q u e s t i o n n a i r e w e r e e v e n l e s s s p e c i f i c i n r e g a r d t o r e c r e a t i o n a l n e e d s w i t h t h e r e s u l t t h a t t h e i r r e p l i e s t o i t h i s p a r t o f t h e q u e s t i o n n a i r e w e r e m o s t i n c o n c l u s i v e . A l l s e n i o r c i t i z e n s ' g r o u p s t h a t r e p l i e d , h o w e v e r , i n -d i c a t e d t h a t t h e p r o v i s i o n o f r e c r e a t i o n was p a r t o f t h e i r p u r p o s e . I n t h e t h r e e , d i s t r i c t b r a n c h e s o f t h e O l d A g e P e n s i o n e r s O r g a n i z a t i o n , r e c r e a t i o n w a s c o n s i d e r e d t o be a s e c o n d a r y f u n c t i o n o f t h e g r o u p , w i t h p o l i t i c a l a n d s o c i a l a c t i o n b e i n g o f p r i m a r y c o n c e r n . T h e o t h e r s e n i o r c i t i z e n s ' g r o u p s w e r e m o r e c o n c e r n e d w i t h r e c r e a t i o n a s a n e n d i n i t s e l f , a n d o n e v e r y l a r g e g r o u p s e e m e d t o b e f o r m e d a r o u n d t h e common i n t e r e s t o f f o r m e r e m p l o y m e n t a n d u s e o f l e i s u r e t i m e . S i n c e t h e r e p l i e s t o t h e q u e s t i o n n a i r e s w e r e n o t s u f f i c i e n t b y t h e m s e l v e s t o p r o v i d e a r o u n d e d p i c t u r e o f r e c r e a t i o n a l n e e d s a n d r e s o u r c e s i n t h e two a r e a s , i t w a s n e c e s s a r y t o s u p p l e m e n t t h i s i n f o r m a t i o n w i t h p e r s o n a l o b s e r v a t i o n o f p r o g r a m s a n d w i t h i n t e r v i e w s w i t h p e r s o n s e x p e r i e n c e d i n w o r k i n g w i t h o l d e r p e o p l e . F r o m t h e s e i n t e r v i e w s , a c l e a r e r p i c t u r e o f e x i s t i n g p r o g r a m i n a s e l e c t e d g r o u p o f a g e n c i e s w a s f u r t h e r o b t a i n e d . The f i n d i n g s o f t h i s p a r t o f t h e s u r v e y a r e r e p o r t e d i h t h e n e x t c h a p t e r . CHAPTER III SOME SPECIFIC RECREATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR SENIOR CITIZENS In order to give a more rounded picture of the programs offered by some of the community agencies mentioned i n Chapter II, v i s i t s were made to two Neighbourhood Houses and to certain clubs organized by the Old Age Pensioners' group and by the Churches. The choice of programs f o r description was made on the basis of t h e i r representativeness of the kinds of recreational resources available for the; aged i n the two areas studied. The descriptions which follow are derived from personal observation of the clubs' a c t i v i t i e s and from interviews with key people i n the various programs. Leisure Time A c t i v i t i e s Provided by a Branch of the Old Age Pensioners' Organization; Area A The branch selected for more comprehensive study i s one located i n the downtown section of Area A. I t serves a large population of senior c i t i z e n s who reside i n the eastern end of the area; membership, however, i s not r e s t r i c t e d to those l i v i n g within the area and people l i v i n g i n other parts of the c i t y are free to j o i n . This branch enjoys the f a c i l i -t i e s of a club room provided free of charge by a large Anglican Church and because of t h i s i s able to o f f e r serveces to i t s members f o r the greater part of each day. The branch also has the use of the large church h a l l f o r general meetings - 3 4 -w h i c h a r e s o w e l l a t t e n d e d t h a t t h e y w o u l d s e r i o u s l y o v e r c r o w d t h e c l u b r o o m . The c l u b r o o m i s p a r t o f t h e m a i n b u i l d i n g o f the-. C h u r c h b u t h a s a s e p a r a t e e n t r a n c e . I t i s a m e d i u m - s i z e d i r o o m , h a v i n g a f i r e p l a c e , a p r e p o n d e r a n c e o f w e l l - w o r n c u m b e r s o m e f u r n i t u r e , a n d a m p l e s t o r a g e s p a c e . The f u r -n i s h i n g s a r e a p p r o p r i a t e f o r t h e i r u s e i n a s m u c h a s t h e e l d e r l y c l u b m e m b e r s c d o n o t f e e l a n y g r e a t n e e d t o e x e r c i s e s p e c i a l c a r e i n u s i n g t h e c l u b f a c i l i t i e s . I n t e r e s t e d c i t i z e n s h a v e d o n a t e d m o s t o f t h e f u r n i t u r e t o t h e c l u b i n c l u d i n g t w o r a d i o s a n d a t e l e v i s i o n s e t . O f f e r s o f f u r n i t u r e t o t h e c l u b c o n t i n u e t o be made by f r i e n d s o f t h e b r a n c h . T h e e x e c u t i v e h o p e s s o o n t o be a b l e t o o b t a i n a d d i t i o n a l s p a c e i n t h e C h u r c h t o m e e t i n c r e a s i n g d e m a n d s f o r s p a c e . I t i s h o p e d t o o b t a i n a s m a l l e r r o o m a d j o i n i n g t h e p r e s e n t r o o m a n d t o m a k e i t a v a i l a b l e t o women m e m b e r s o n l y . T h e b r a n c h o p e r a t e s u n d e r t h e d i r e c t i o n o f a n e x e c u t i v e c o u n c i l , c o n s i s t i n g o f f o u r r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s e l e c t e d t o t h e p o s i t i o n s o f p r e s i d e n t , v i c e p r e s i d e n t , s e c r e t a r y , a n d o n e m e m b e r - a t - l a r g e . I n a d d i t i o n , t h e p r e s i d e n t h a s r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r a p p o i n t i n g f o u r m e m b e r s t o s e r v e o n t h e v a r i o u s c o m m i t t e e s w h i c h h a v e b e e n o r g a n i z e d w i t h i n t h e b r a n c h . R e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r a t t e n d i n g r e g u l a r m o n t h l y m e e t i n g s i s a s s u m e d by a l l m e m b e r s o f t h e e x e c u t i v e . T h i s b r a n c h o f f e r s t w o m a i n r e c r e a t i o n a l o u t l e t s f o r i t s m e m b e r s , n a m e l y , s e d e n t a r y a c t i v i t i e s s u c h a s g a m e s , t e l e v i s i o n a n d r a d i o , a n d t h e o p p o r t u n i t y f o r s o c i a l -35-i n t e r c o u r s e and a c t i v i t i e s c e n t e r e d a r o u n d f o o d . A c t i v i t i e s r e l a t e d t o f o o d a r e s t r u c t u r e d a r o u n d a f t e r n o o n t e a w h i c h i s s e r v e d d a i l y . Members pay a s m a l l f e e t o c o v e r t h e c o s t s o f t e a a n d l i g h t f o o d s a n d , i n a d d i t i o n , s u p e r v i s e t h e d a i l y a r r a n g e m e n t s f o r p r e p a r i n g and s e n v i n g t h e r e f r e s h m e n t s . I n t h e e a r l y d a y s o f t h e c l u b , members depended on d o n a t i o n s t o p r o v i d e r e f r e s h m e n t s , b u t s i n c e t h i s was a n u n c e r t a i n a r r a n g e m e n t a n d s i n c e f o o d was e x t r e m e l y i m p o r t a n t f o r many o f t h e members as i t was t h e i r o n l y h o t m e a l i n t h e d a y , t h e f e e a r r a n g e m e n t was f i n a l l y a g r e e d u p o n . The m o n t h l y g e n e r a l m e e t i n g s a l t h o u g h s p e c i f i c a l l y d e s i g n e d t o c a r r y o u t t h e b u s i n e s s o f t h e b r a n c h , s e r v e a r e c r e a t i o n a l f u n c t i o n w h i c h i s r e c o g n i z e d by t h e b r a n c h e x e c u t i v e . The p r o g r a m o f t h e g e n e r a l m e e t i n g u s u a l l y c o n s i s t s o f l u n c h e o n , f o l l o w e d by a " s i n g - s o n g " . The b u s i n e s s o f t h e m e e t i n g i s t h e n d e a l t w i t h , i n c l u d i n g r e p o r t s o f c o m m i t t e e s , a f t e r w h i c h t h e r e i s a g e n e r a l q u e s t i o n and answer s e s s i o n i n w h i c h members a r e e n c o u r a g e d t o v o i c e o p i n i o n s o n a v a r i e t y o f s u b j e c t s o f t h e i r own c h o o s i n g . On o c c a s i o n s , t h e e x e c u t i v e has been a b l e t o a r r a n g e f o r o u t s i d e e n t e r t a i n m e n t a t t h e m o n t h l y m e e t i n g s . The b r a n c h has c a l l e d u p o n c h o i r s , d a n c i n g a n d b a l l e t s c h o o l s and f i l m s o c i e t i e s on d i f f e r e n t o c c a s i o n s . F i l m s d e p i c t i n g t h e " o l d c o u n t r y " a r e v e r y much f a v o r e d by t h e s e n i o r c i t i z e n s . The e x p e r i e n c e o f t h e v a r i o u s e x e c u t i v e members has been t h a t members o f t h i s b r a n c h p r e f e r p a s s i v e r e c r e a t i o n i n most i n s t a n c e s , e x c e p t f o r g r o u p s i n g i n g i n w h i c h t h e r e i s e x c e l l e n t p a r t i c i p a t i o n . - 3 6 -This branch offers an additional service which, while not recreational i n nature, does nevertheless serve the members i n some of t h e i r recreational needs. This i s a counselling service staffed on a volunteer basis by the members of the executive. Members may bring personal prob-lems to the counsellor and obtain advice on any matters that concern them. Questions c h i e f l y concern accommodation and high rentals, the problems of making-do on a- l i m i t e d income1, misunderstandings with "cold" s o c i a l workers, and on occasions "love a f f a i r s " . In the same vein as the counselling service, but' more related to the material well-being of the members i s a clothing centre operated by the branch. This service i s dependent on g i f t s from friends of the branch, and i s well patronized by members. Although t h i s branch u t i l i z e s church f a c i l i t i e s , i t i s i n no way a f f i l i a t e d with the church. Nevertheless, the church has noticed an increase i n attendance of senior c i t i z e n s at services since the club commenced operations. Many of these new members of the church are members of the. club and have probably been attracted to the church because of i t s acceptance of senior c i t i z e n s as a group. The Happy Hours Club. A second resource selected f o r study was the Happy Hours Club. This i s also located i n the downtown section"of Area A, but serves a much smaller segment of the population than does the Old Age Pensioners' branch. The -37-Glub operates under the auspices of a Church situated in Area A"and offers recreational f a c i l i t i e s to some f i f t y to seventy elderly men and women resident within the immediate neighbourhood of the Church. A'meeting place is available in the attractively-decorated Church hall and reportedly lends i t s e l f to a feeling of be longing on the part of club membe rs. Although membership is open to a l l , the members have re mained f a i r l y constant over the years and almost equally divided between men and women, most of whom are lonely people having few individual interests. New-comers are rare and after once attending, tend to remain, with the result that they form a close homogeneous group with common interests. Meetings which are held during the afternoon on a weekly basis are not formally structured. Responsibility for program arrangement is assumed by the organizer of the club, a member of the congregation of the church who gives his services on a voluntary basis. Meetings usually follow the same pattern. They open with a short devotional, which was arranged originally at the request of the membership, and includes a short sermon and two or three familiar hymns. This period of worship is followed by the showing of two films, one of which is educational and the other a travelogue, and both of which seem to be enjoyed by the club members and frequently provide topics for conversation. - 3 8 -T.ea, which is prepared by the Ladies' Auxil iary of the congregation, is served by the members of the club and for those who can afford to pay, the cost is ten cents. Members making this f inancial contribution are l i s t ed and regarded as unoff ic ia l ly constituting the club membership. It has been noted by the organizers that the majority of the senior citizens prefer':" to donate regularly to this fund and appear to derive a feeling of independence from doing so. The informality of the tea-hour i t s e l f provides a comfortable medium for the friendly conversation which is so important to many of the aged people whose l ives tend to be isolated and devoid of family companionship. In affording an opportunity for social inter-course for a selected group of senior c i t izens, the club would seem to be meeting a very definite need judging from the regularity of attendance.on the part of i t s members. Although the Happy Hour Club is sponsored by the congregation of* the Church, no attempts have been made to encourage the club members to attend Sunday Services, although they are always made welcome i f they do att'e nd. It has been obse rved by Church o f f i c ia l s that club members in general do not belong to the congregation, nor do they attend morning service. However, the evening service, which has been described as somewhat evangelical in character, attracts a large number of senior citizens including club membe r s . -39-Gordon House Gordon House, located in the West End Section of Area A, is a Neighbourhood House which is sponsored and financed by the Community Chest and Council. It is organized for the specific purpose of providing recreational acti v i t i e s for selected groups of citizens resident within this area. The House i s open to the members between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. six days a week. Professional social work staff i s employed to supervise and f a c i l i t a t e program a c t i v i t i e s . Included in the group served by this recreational Centre are approximately four hundred senior citizens, most of whom li v e in i t s immediate v i c i n i t y . Membership is o f f i c i a l l y restricted to residents of the West End, but regulations are sufficiently flexible to permit continuance of attendance for former residents who have moved from the area but have continued to maintain their interest in the activities and associations which the Centre offers. Because of the preponderance of aged people within the membership of Gordon House, care has been taken to accommodate a l l their ac t i v i t i e s in quarters entirely separate from Junior House which caters to the recreational needs of children in this area. This arrangement was planned deliberately in order to ^ avoid. disharmony and any need for unnecessary restrictions for two large groups of members whose ages, interests and ac t i v i t i e s d i f f e r widely. -40-The program for Senior Citizens includes re-creational games, social a c t i v i t i e s and special interest and hobby groups. The supe rvisor of the program for Senior Citizens i s a member of the professional staff of the Centre and i s responsible for encouraging participation by the membership in as many of the existing programs as they wish, as well as for providing opportunities for the development of new programs. Each group and program is organized by an executive which is elected from the membership and i s responsible to i t . Each group maintains representation on the House Council, a governing body which is empowered to make certain decisions regarding the House and the programs available to the membership. Emphasis is given to sponsoring a feeling of participating in community l i f e on the part of the senior citizens attending the Centre. A wide variety of activ i t i e s is offered for their enjoyment, a l l of which are designed specifically to meet the frequently limited physical capacity of older people. These include carpet bowling, square dancing, old time dancing, card games, such as bridge and cribbage, as well as craft groups, discussion groups, and a glee club. A";major endeavour each year which involves the membership at a l l age levels is the Spring Carnival. This Carnival i s held at the Centre. Considerable responsibility is assumed by the Senior Citizens in providing craft work - 4 1 -for sales, participating in advance sale of tickets, and in painting and designing posters to be used for display and advertising purposes. In addition to having their recreational needs met, Senior Citizens:also receive help at Gordon House with problems"requiring expert counselling services. This help i s provided by trained social workers who have a thorough knowledge of community resources and how they may be best used. It is fre quently concerned with such matters as obtaining suitable accomodation or completing Old Age Assistance Applications and problems related thereto.. In evaluating the response of the Senior Citizens to various programs offereddby Gordon House, i t should be noted that former members who have moved from the d i s t r i c t are reluctant to give up their membership. Thesec-activities seem to meet the recreation needs of the senior citizens. It i s also notable that rarely does a member withdraw, but that, in general, termination of contact i s the result of either an enforced move away from the d i s t r i c t , incapacitating illness or death. Old Age Pensioners' Branch; Area B The Branch selected for more comprehensive study in Area B.-.Is located in the Kitsilano d i s t r i c t . It is designed to serve the recreational and social meeds of the elderly men and women residing within the neighbourhood of' the Kitsilano Community Centre. The Centre's f a c i l i t i e s are available to the Old Age -42-Pensioners' Organization, free of charge. Such f a c i l i t i e s include a room for the regular monthly meetings of the membership as well as the unrestricted use of the Centre's Lounge on a daily basis. In addition, the f i e l d house in Cbnnaught Park adjacent to the Community Centre has developed into an unofficial meeting place for many of the elderly male members of the branch. Like the Old Age Pensioners' Branch selected for study in Area/.A,, Ehe one in Area B is organized under the direction of an executive Council, consisting of four elected representatives to the positions of president, vice-president, secretary and member at large. In addition, the president is responsible for appointing a selected number of members to serve on the comittees which have been set up by the membership. A l l members of the executive have responsibility for regular attendance at branch meetings which are held on one afternoon a month. Meetings are structured to include a business period followed by some form of sedentary entertainment, and concluding with informal discussion over tea and coffee. Emphasis is placed on the benefits derived from regular attendance and the opportunity to form new friendships within one's own age group. Members are encouraged to meet together for social purposes during the period between scheduled meetings. The only committee presently active in the club is one devoted to v i s i t i n g sick and infirm members who, because of their incapacities, are no longer able to - 4 3 -attend in person. Apart from this, the membership has indicated no particular interest in the development of craft, study or activity groups. In addition to providing accommodation, the Kitsilano Community Centre has assumed some responsibility for attempting to meet in other ways the recreational needs of this particular group of senior citizens. The club lounge is available every day for reading, card playing or v i s i t i n g with friends. EMlms are shown regularly free of charge through the f a c i l i t i e s of the national Film Board. Efforts such as these, however, are,not in the opinion of the branch president sufficiently adequate to attract the majority of the members. He noted that, despite numerous complaints of loneliness, the lounge was seldom used and the films were poorly attended. On the other hand, as previously mentioned, the f i e l d house in nearby Connaught Park Is regularly patronized by many of the male members. According to the president, they seem to feel more at ease in the surroundings which i t affords and which are much less formal and elaborate than are those of the Community Centre. The matter of program planning has for some years constituted a problem for the executive. According to the president the membership, and more especially the women, have -been undecided as to what they want in the way of a c t i v i t i e s . Many members wish only to be enter-tained and w i l l take l i t t l e responsibility for program arrangemement. Difficulty is experienced in obtaining - 4 4 -the services of entertainers, particularly for the afternoon meetings; as a result, the members must depend largely on their own resources for interesting and varied a c t i v i t i e s . It would appear that the stimulation and leadership necessary to inaugurate and maintain programs has to come from the executive or the president. Ah interesting side effect of this particular organization has been the number of marriages between members which i t has sponsored. During the comparatively few years of i t s existence some twenty couples have married. Ih most instances the partners were originally lonely men and women devoid of close ties who, through the medium of the branch, found their own particular solutions to their problems. However, in evaluating with the president the services of this particular branch of the 0 Id Pensioners' Organization, i t would appear that apart from lesser benefits such as the passing of time, i t i s f a i l i n g to meet adequately the recreational needs of a large proportion of i t s members. Ah Experimental Program Offered by a Church A somewhat unique service in that i t caters primarily to the recreational needs of very aged and often infirm senior citizens i s offered by a church located in Area B. Because of the advanced age and physical in-capacities of the majority of i t s members, the club i s as - 4 5 -unstructured and informal as possible in i t s organization. Responsibility for programs and entertainment is assumed by volunteer members of the congregation. There are no membership qualifications and membership in the Church i s not required. This experimental program developed some years ago when a ladies' group of the congregation extended personal invitations to Christmas dinner to a l l known pensioners residing within the d i s t r i c t . Eight senior citizens responded to the invitation and, as a result of the success of this dinner, i t was agreed that meetings for social a c t i v i t i e s should continue on a monthly basis. The club now has a membership of twenty-eight, drawn chiefly from residents of boarding homes in the d i s t r i c t . The majority of members are eighty years or more and many have to be brought to meetings by their more able-bodied friends, some arriving in wheel chairs. In order to ensure attendance, each member is reminded by letter of Impending meetings three days in advance. Notifications include the date, place and time of meeting. The program commences with a r o l l c a l l in which members are required to reply by giving the names of vegetables.:or f r u i t rather than their, own names. This simple word game is thoroughly enjoyed by the old people and does much to set the tone for the meeting. Following r o l l c a l l there is a sing-song, and later a film or other form of entertainment provided by guest ar t i s t s . When no such entertainment is available the meeting is devoted to simple games suitable to the limited capacities of the - 4 6 -participants, followed by the serving of refreshments. A l l food i s donated, by the ladies' auxiliary of the church and served by them. Care is taken to ensure that the cakes and cookies are home-baked and attractive in appearance. As in the case of several of the clubs previously described, many of the members complain of loneliness and lack of act i v i t i e s . Consequently, the church hall has been made available once a week for a meeting of senior citizens on the understanding, however, that no structured programs would'be provided. A member of the congregation would be present to open and close the ha l l , but apart from that would take no part in the meetings. At the time of writing, the hall has been open in the afternoons for three weeks, but the response so far has been poor. In assessing this program the sponsors are of the opinion that the weekly program meets the needs of a small, select group of senior citizens who are sometimes forgotten by more elaborate programs. Alexandra Neighbourhood House. Alexandra Neighbourhood House, located in the south-west section of Area B, is a Neighbourhood House which is sponsored and financed by the Community Chest and Council. It is organized for the specific purpose of providing rec-reational act i v i t i e s for selected groups of citizens resident within this area. In this agency, as in Gordon House, pro-fessional social work staff is employed to supervise and fa c i l i t a t e program a c t i v i t i e s . -47-Included i n the group served by t h i s recreational Centre are approximately f i f t y senior c i t i z e n s a l l of whom are women. The Neighbourhood House of f e r s these women a club known by the name of Sunny Seniors. It i s designed to serve the recreational and s o c i a l needs of the elde r l y women residing within the d i s t r i c t of Alexandra Neighbourhood House. The House makes available to the club f o r t h e i r weekly meeting an a t t r a c t i v e l y painted and comfortably furnished room free of charge. The club has an organized program that varies from week to week. The program includes f i l m presentations, bingo, conducted tours to f a c t o r i e s , book talks and celebration of various f e s t i v e occasions during the year. The program i s varied enough not to become too routine, and yet there i s a continuity and reg u l a r i t y i n the a c t i v i t i e s which enables the members to plan t h e i r attendance i n advance. After the program the members prepare and serve t h e i r own tea, the refreshments being provided by the Centre. The club operates under the d i r e c t i o n of a group leader who i s a member of the professional s t a f f of Alexandra Neighbourhood House. He i s responsible for arrangement of the programs i n accordance with the wishes of the members as well as for providing opportunities for the development of new programs. In addition to meeting the recreational needs of the members of the club, the Neighbourhood House has arranged for the services of an experienced caseworker to be available on c e r t a i n days of the week to any elderly person requiring help with personal problems. Assistance i s given i n finding l i v i n g accommodation and boarding-home placements fo r those who need them. Frequently the concern i s with such matters as completing Old Age Assistance applications and i n obtaining medical services. I f no concrete help or solution i s available sympathetic l i s t e n i n g and support i s given the person to enable her to cope with the s i t u a t i o n . In evaluating the club f o r the senior c i t i z e n s at Alexandra Neighbourhood House, i t seems that the member-ship and numbers have remained f a i r l y constant and that i t i s rare for a member to drop out. From t h i s i t appears that the club meets the recreational needs of the small, select group of women who attend i t . SUMMARY • In summary, personal interviews were held with key people responsible for six of the recreational programs available to senior c i t i z e n s i n Areas A and B. Two of the programs are organized by Old Age Pensioners' groups which, however, are dependent upon such outside resources as c churches and community centres f o r meeting quarters; two are organized by Neighbourhood Houses providing club rooms for meetings, and two by Churches, which also make space available f o r meetings. Membership varies from a small group of twenty-eight men and women of very advanced age and f a i r l y marked physical i n f i r m i t y to a large group of some four-hundred senior c i t i z e n s , the majority of whom pa r t i c i p a t e a c t i v e l y -49-i n one or more aspects of the agency's program. In f i v e instances the membership includes both men and women; i n one i t i s r e s t r i c t e d to women. Program content d i f f e r s f a i r l y widely depending upon the interest, p a r t i c i p a t i o n , and physical capacity of the membership as well as upon the quality of leadership available. I t i s to be noted that i n the one agency o f f e r i n g a wide variety of a c t i v i t i e s , together with professional assistance and d i r e c t i o n , the membership i s correspondingly high. In a l l instances, the programs -offered are predomi-nantly sedentary i n type; a l l include refreshments and an opportunity f o r informal conversation. Two of the program's are organized by agencies which are sponsored and financed by the Community Chest and Council, and which employ pro- " fes s i o n a l s o c i a l workers. Four are organized by unpaid volunteers who have no professional t r a i n i n g i n either s o c i a l work or recreational The findings of t h i s part of the survey point to the fact that i n a l l instances the programs studied meet with varying degrees of success the needs of the senior c i t i z e n s f o r companionship within, t h e i r own age group. In one case, t h i s i s seen primarily as a side e f f e c t i n that members have met and married; at the other extreme i s the response of approximately four hundred aged men and women to the stimulating and varied program offered by a progressive Neighbourhood House. The experience of t h i s agency suggests - 5 0 -that the extension by other groups of exis t i n g f a c i l i t i e s and programs to include a wider variety of a c t i v i t i e s and more frequent meetings would do much to s a t i s f y the emotional and leisure-time needs of senior c i t i z e n s within the area. Suggestions and recommendations f o r implementing such an extension, as well as consideration of some of the l i m i t a t i o n s of e x i s t i n g services, are contained i n the following chapter. CHAPTER-; IV RECREATIONAL RESOURCES AMD NEEDS: THE SITUATION REVIEWED The findings discussed in this chapter are. based on an examination of two areas of the City of Vancouver. These areas were chosen because of the distinctive socio-economic characteristics they exhibit and because each has a large population of old people li v i n g within i t s boundaries. The recreation resources available to the senior citizens in both areas were studied through observa-tion, questionnaire and interviews with key people and the two areas were subsequently compared. Particular programs representative of the recreation resources in two areas were then examined in more detail with a view to determining their effectiveness in meeting the needs of older people. Some Limitations' of the Survey Limitations in the scope of the survey as well as in the methods used for gathering Information restrict the conclusions which can be drawn from the findings of the study. For example the people who were interviewed and the organizations which were examined do not represent a cross section of the elderly population. The survey tended to exclude two groups in particular, those of a relatively high socio-economic status and the elderly residents of boarding and nursing homes of which there are a large number in the two areas studied. Accordingly, £he findings of the survey must be interpreted as relating primarily to older people of limited financial means who enjoy sufficiently good health to enable them to p a r t i c i -pate in outside activities i f they so wish. The study has very l i t t l e to say about the recreational needs and satisfactions of the elderly persons who, for one reason or another choose not to engage in group ac t i v i t i e s . Clearly, such persons must make up a sizeable number in the elderly population as they do in any age group and w i l l include those who suffer no distress from depending upon their own resources as well as those who would benefit from wider human associations but lack the means, or the confidence or the social s k i l l s necessary to seek them out. Further research into the characteristics of both of these groups would yield valuable information for the planning of community recreation services. A significant omission from the present study is an evaluation of the attitudes, expectations and satisfactions of the persons comprising the membership of the various groups and organizations surveyed. The study reports the opinions and suggestions of persons intimately connected with recreation programs for the aged and many of these persons are themselves recruited from the ranks of the elderly, but i t i s not inconceivable that the people participating in these acti v i t i e s have different views about what is required from those held by the leaders and organizers. Although i t was not feasible to include a pol l of membership within the scope of the present study, a certain amount of light was thrown on this subject in the course of observing the actual operation of some of the programs. - 5 3 -Beside the limitations inherent in the scopes of the survey, i t was apparent as the study progressed that certain shortcomings in the methods used forrcollect-ing information would affect the r e l i a b i l i t y of the data obtained. For the most part, the response to the question-naires was not favourable and there seemed to be two main reasons for this. First a lack of interest in the subject matter of the survey and second, a reluctance on the part of the respondents to provide information which might reflect adversely on the efforts which they were making to meet the recreational needs of older people. In the light of subsequent interviews with persons involved in the programs, i t would seem more reasonable to attribute the poor response to lack of interest rather than embarrass-ment at the scarcity of services provided. Within the questionnaire i t s e l f there should have been some statement on the meaning attached to the term "recreation" for the purposes of the survey. It is probably that uncertainty in the minds of the respondents as to what could l e g i t i -mately be considered as recreation caused some to withhold important and useful material. One question, question # 2 , was generally misinterpreted. The question's intention was to obtain the number of senior citizens attending the services, but i t was interpreted as referring to the age groups of the members of the congregations. The response to the follow-up interviews was generally more satisfactory, although even in these i t was -54-apparent that for some of the persons interviewed the recreational needs of older people were of only incidental interest. In such cases, the problems of Immediate and major concern tended to center on either the economic or spiritual needs of the aged, and preoccupation with these frequently prevented an objective discussion in the inter-views of the recreational interests of the aged. In summary, the present study has been more successful in raising questions than in providing definite answers concerning the leisure-time needs.and satisfactions of older people. Some of these questions are enlarged upon in later sections of the chapter, but i t is clear that any adequate treatment of them must wait upon more intensive study. The Nature and Extent of Existing Recreational Resources It was found that the recreational resources- in both areas were of two main types; those directed specifi-cally toward the people l i v i n g in the area and those serving the whole city and even the metropolitan area. These resources are operated under public and private aus-pices, commercial and non-commercial; in some the recreat-ional purpose is primary while in others i t i s incidental to other ac t i v i t i e s . There are resources designed specifi-cally for senior citizens and others catering to people of a l l ages, but used:to a greater or less extent by senior citizens. - 5 5 -Special account was taken of the recreational services provided by the churches and pensioners' organiz-ations. It was found that these services are relatively few in number in the two areas studied and that participa-tion in them by old people varies considerably, depending upon the characteristics of each local community and the degree of leadership provided in each instance.- There were indications in both areas of increasing concern on the part of church groups for the recreational needs of older people, but i t was evident for the most part that the pensioners' organizations were providing most of the leader-ship in planning and arranging programs. The statements of leaders in the senior citizens' organizations provide an interesting commentary on this situation. They point out that the purpose of their organization i s not primarily recreation and that recreational activities in these groups are of secondary importance to the major objective of improving the l i v i n g conditions of the pensioners. Some groups use recreational programs very deliberately as a way of attracting membership in order to increase the effectiveness of the organization in demanding improved services for senior citizens. Among the churches offering programs of a recreational nature for the senior citizens there did not appear to be any deliberate attempt to combine the recreat-ional and devotional aspects of their work. Presumably these churches are satisfied that the programs need not be heavily slanted toward the spiritual needs of members -56-since these can be more appropriately met through the regular services of the church and the personal counsel of the minister. It i s noteworthy that some ministers did not consider recreation an important need among older people. The reasoning behind t h i s view was not explored, but i t was noticed that the ministers expressing i t belonged generally to sects of strong fundamentalist persuasion f o r whom the joys and t r i b u l a t i o n s of t h i s world are as nothing compared with the rewards to be obtained i n the l i f e hereafter. A major drawback to the recreational programs sponsored by the pensioners' organizations and the churches i s that the majority of the programs can be offered only on a once or twice-monthly basis. With one or two except-ions, such as the Old Age Pensioners Organization Branch i n Area A, and the r e t i r e d employees' club, f a c i l i t i e s are not available on a regular enough basis to provide f o r d a i l y meetings and a c t i v i t i e s ; yet, most senior c i t i z e n s have s u f f i c i e n t l e i s u r e time to take advantage of more frequent programs. This question of available time probably accounts i n part f o r the older person's greater use of secondary recreational f a c i l i t i e s , such as l i b r a r i e s , parks and auction rooms. The lack of continuity i n program may also account f o r the rather l i m i t e d use made of some resources by senior c i t i z e n s . In t h i s connection i t i s si g n i f i c a n t that the two Neighbourhood Houses studied i n the survey o f f e r regular and frequent programs f o r the senior c i t i z e n group and report greater enthusiasm and "self-involvement" by members than do any of the other resources studied. The part played by the professional s t a f f of the two Neighbourhood Houses i s no less important as a factor i n ensuring the success of these two programs. By contrast, i n the two groups which enjoy the grequent and regular use of f a c i l i t i e s but where professional s t a f f i s not available, i t was obvious that the l e v e l of enthusiasm and p a r t i c i p a t i o n on the part of the members was much lower, the chief a t t r a c t i o n f o r the members being the material benefits available, such as refreshments, warmth and comfort. Clearly, the continuity of program and the a v a i l a -b i l i t y of professional s t a f f have an important bearing on the character of the p a r t i c i p a t i o n of the members and the s a t i s f a c t i o n which they derive from the program. From the point of view of the number of old people involved, i t was noteworthy that the two groups reporting the largest atten-dance at monthly meetings offered very, l i t t l e i n the way of recreation. Some explanation of t h i s may be found i n the fact that both of these groups have i n the past organized themselves around issues of s o c i a l welfare important to senior c i t i z e n s and have been supported wholeheartedly i n these s o c i a l action endeavours. Interestingly enough, the leaders of both these groups were of the opinion that membership could be increased and present membership better served by developing t h e i r recreational programs. - 5 8 -Some Observations on the Use Made of the Resources That many older people are searching f o r s a t i s -fying ways of spending t h e i r l e i s u r e time i s evident from the number and variety of recreational resources that they make use of. Moreover, the findings of the survey confirm the importance to the older person of recreational a c t i v i -t i e s which foster a sense of worth and usefulness, either through i d e n t i f i c a t i o n with his peer group, or through p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n planning and the carrying out of programs. Generally, he prefers to follow pursuits that are not demanding of great expenditure of physical energy. It was noted that the pensioners tend to prefer programs that are rather passive i n nature, but that they seemed to enjoy some association with younger age groups i n some aspects of t h e i r recreation. Thus t h e i r needs are partly to "have done f o r them", but without being deprived of t h e i r capacity to make responsible decisions on t h e i r own b e h a l f f i n choosing t h e i r recreational a c t i v i t i e s . Phrased i n another way, t h e i r needs seem to be f o r enabling leadership that w i l l not usurp t h e i r freedom of choice, but at the same time, w i l l not demand an expenditure of energy that i s beyond t h e i r physical and emotional capacities to give. This survey has indicated that t h e i r l e v e l of enthusiasm and "self-involvement" i s closely associated writh the a v a i l a b i l i t y of leadership or of conditions which s a t i s f y these c r i t e r i a . Thus, we f i n d the older person a v a i l i n g himself of two main types of resources; those that provide leadership which recognizes his needs, and those i n which no demands for active p a r t i -cipation are placed upon him as i n , f o r example, concerts, -59-auctions and l i b r a r y f a c i l i t i e s . In general, the l e i s u r e time outlets studied i n t h i s survey tend only p a r t l y to meet the recreational needs of older persons. Such resources as church groups and old-age pensioners' organizations serve a useful function, but each, to a greater or l e s s e r extent, f a i l s to f a c i l i t a t e the latent leadership within the group of old people. Limited physical f a c i l i t i e s and infrequency of meetings c l e a r l y act as a b a r r i e r i n many cases to the development of strong membership p a r t i c i p a t i o n ; i t i s noteworthy, however, that where these two obstacles have been overcome the l e v e l of p a r t i c i p a t i o n by the older persons seems to vary i n d i r e c t r e l a t i o n s h i p to the quality of leadership a v a i l a b l e . It was most noticeable that p a r t i -cipant enthusiasm and self-involvement was highest i n those structured resources where professional leadership was available, as f o r example at the Neighbourhood Houses, and that these q u a l i t i e s were also evinced when strong, volunteer leadership was available. In the case of the secondary leisure-time resources such as movies, l i b r a r i e s and auction houses, i t was more d i f f i c u l t to evaluate l e v e l s of p a r t i c i p a t i o n , because p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n them i s greatly influenced by the individual's f i n a n c i a l resources as well as by personal i n t e r e s t . I t i s possible that many senior c i t i z e n s a v a i l themselves of such resources even though they consider them inadequate to t h e i r personal needs, simply because they involve l i t t l e or -60-no f i n a n c i a l outlay. Others may use these resources because of interest i n the subject matter that i t provides. It i s equally probable that t h e i r p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n these forms of recreation i s influenced by t h e i r l i m i t e d and declining reserves of physical and emotional energy. In any event, the information available from the present method of study did not permit a proper evaluation of these resources or t h e i r comparison with other evidence obtained. Recommendations This study has pointed out the r e l a t i v e poverty of Area B i n recreational resources f o r the aged. In view of the already large number of elderly persons resident i n the area and the l i k e l i h o o d of the numbers being further increased as a r e s u l t of migration from the West End and from the areas scheduled for redevelopment by the c i t y , i t i s essential that plans be made now f o r the improvement of existing services and the establishment, where indicated, of new services. The need f o r expansion and experimentation i s obviously great, but i t i s equally important to ensure that the services which are offered are of the r i g h t kind.^ Accordingly, before embarking on a large-scale new program i t would seem wise to est a b l i s h a number of p i l o t projects to determine the usefulness and effectiveness of p a r t i c u l a r services and of d i f f e r e n t approaches to the problem. Area B i s a l o g i c a l place i n which to i n i t i a t e such projects. ^Kutner, Bernard, Five Hundred over Sixty, Russell Sage Foundation, New York, 1956. - 6 1 -From the point of view of making better use of resources which already exists, the Parks' Board program perhaps offers the greatest po s s i b i l i t i e s of immediate and wide-spread returns. This is especially true for the elderly residents of the West End, but i t i s clear that the Parks' Board program is potentially capable of making a significant contribution to the welfare of older persons liv i n g in a l l parts of the city. Physical f a c i l i t i e s in Vancouver parks are generally satisfactory and often above average, but in program planning there has been l i t t l e thought given to the special needs of older people. The pattern of the Parks' Board programs for the past eight years seems to have been one of emphasizing good physical plant and adequately supervised f a c i l i t i e s for children. In these two areas there i s a f a i r l y clear goal and purpose. Less clear are the goals and purposes of the Board In respect to supervision and leadership in adult activi t i e s . The provision of leadership is of particular importance in leisure time activities for the aged, but i t has been largely neglected in the general parks' program. No doubt, there are good reasons for this emphasis on pro-grams for young people, but older persons make extensive use of parks and are probably more dependent for a greater range of satisfactions on what the Parks' Board has to offer than is the case with younger people who are in a better position to "take i t or leave i t " . To say that older persons depend for the satisfaction of some of their -62-recreational needs upon the parks' Board and that the Parks' Board has the corresponding r e s p o n s i b i l i t y to supply certain services, does not, of course, imply a relat i o n s h i p of passive dependency on the part of the aged. The one unequivocal fact which has emerged from the present study i s that the greatest benefits are conferred by those a c t i v i t i e s which enhance the older person's sense of i n d i -vidual significance and usefulness, and that a l l else i s l i t t l e better than a p a l l i a t i v e . Accordingly, i t i s most important that i n developing i t s services the Parks' Board should e n l i s t the co-operation of ssnior c i t i z e n s organi-zations and, equally Important, that the programs provided should be designed to develop maximum p a r t i c i p a t i o n on the part of the old people themselves. The s i t u a t i o n with regard to the Parks' Board program demonstrates most e f f e c t i v e l y the need fo r co-operative planning and the pooling of resources between the public agency, the senior c i t i z e n s ' organizations and the private agency. In t h i s regard, i t i s noteworthy that the persons interviewed i n the survey invariably commented upon the overriding need for coordination of the various programs and services directed toward older persons. The Community Chest and Council, through i t s standing committee on the welfare of the aged has t r i e d to meet t h i s need and over the years the committee has made some notable c o n t r i -butions.. The problem, however, has become so vast and complex that i t i s u n r e a l i s t i c to expect a lay group with - 6 3 -one part-time professional s t a f f to provide an e f f e c t i v e service of coordination. Another important need, stressed by the persons interviewed was fo r additional counselling, services s i m i l a r to those now offered by trained s o c i a l workers i n the two Neighbourhood Houses. The value of such a service i s that i t provides not only information and r e f e r r a l , where i n d i -cated, to other appropriate welfare sources, but also con-s t i t u t e s a recognized resource to which the older person can turn f o r help i n dealing with any one of the innumerable problems which beset old age. Greater understanding of the psycho-social needs of individuals has shown that i t i s not enough to provide for man's material wants, such as food, housing and clothing, although these are ess e n t i a l , i n order to have happy i n d i -viduals. One must also provide human companionship and human inte r a c t i o n . This i s true of a l l age groups. Older people i n the North American culture have hitherto remained l a r g e l y i n the background, but i n the l a s t few years, an increasing interest has developed i n understanding the s o c i a l aspects of ageing. From t h i s under-standing, i t i s apparent that the older people are i n need of s a t i s f y i n g recreational outlets which w i l l assure them a continued and useful role i n society and which w i l l develop t h e i r hidden s k i l l s and talents. ' These questions should be approached simultaneously from the point of view of the ind i v i d u a l , the family and the community. To provide -64-happiness to the older people through a c t i v i t i e s which are within t h e i r capacities i n t h e i r l e i s u r e time should be a challenge to every thinking member of the community. BIBLIOGRAPHY Allen, Edward B., "The Psychology of Retirement," Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, vol. 2, December 1954. Arthur, J. K.How to Help Older People. Nat'n Conf. ^ging, }|t$}' Bond, Floyed A., Barber, R. E., Our Needy Aged. Henry Holt & Co., New York, 1954. Bowman, Karl M., "Personality Adjustment in Aging Adults," Geriatrics, vol. 9, December 1954 . Cavan, Burgess, Personal Adjustments in the Old Age. Science • Research Associates Inc., Chicago, 1949. English, Spurgeon 0., Pearson, Gerald, H. J., Emotional Problems of Living. W. V/. Norton & Company, New York, 1 9 5 5 . Francis, Helen and others, "Serving the Older Person; A Multiple Approach by the Family Agency," Social Casework, vol. 35, July 1954. French, David G., An Approach to Measuring Results in Social Work, Columbia University Press, New York, 1952. Friedmann, Eugene A. and Havighurst, Robert J., The Meaning of Work and Retirement, The University of Chicago Press, 1954. Grant, Joan, Recreational Interests and Activities for Senior Citizens in Vancouver, University of British Columbia, 1954. Havighurst. Robert J., "Social and Psychological Needs of the Aging, 1 Annals of the American Academy of P o l i t i c a l - Social Science, vol. 2 7 9 , January 1952. Kaplan, Jerome, A Social Program for Older People, The University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 1 9 5 3 . Kessler, Henry H . , The Principles and Practices of Rehabili- tation, Lea and Ferbiger, Philadelphia, 1950. Kutner, Bernard and others, Five Hundred over Sixty, Russell Sage Foundation, New York, 1956. Lawton, George, Aging Successfully, Columbia University Press, New York, 1946. New Goals for Old Age, Columbia University Press, New York, 1943. Selected Papers on the Aging,. National Conference of Social Work, Chicago, I l l i n o i s " , 1952. "Services for the Aged i n Canada" Department of National Health and Welfare, Research and S t a t i s t i c s Division, June, 1957. S t i e g l i t z , Edward J., ed. G e r i a t r i c Medicine. J. B. Lippin-cott Co., Philadelphia, 1954. Towles, Charlotte, Common Human Needs, American Association Of Social Workers, New York, 1952. Woods, James H . , Helping Older People Enjoy L i f e . Harper .& Brothers, New York, 1953. APPENDIX A . . . 1 The University of B r i t i s h Columbia LEISURE-TIME ACTIVITIES FOR SENIOR CITIZENS I am making a survey of services and needs for older persons i n your d i s t r i c t . Would you be w i l l i n g to give me the benefit of your experience i n this matter? Stamped and addressed envelope enclosed for your convenience. Please return promptly. 1. How long has your organization or club existed i n Vancouver? 2,. What are the purposes of your organization? 3. What i s your approximate membership (January 1958)? Men Women;... 4 . How often does your organization meet? Weekly...monthly...other....... What kind of social program do you organize for your members? Kind How often do they meet Weekdays Weekend (Please use back of sheet i f further description h e l p f u l ) . 6. Which are the most' attended or most popular programs? 7, What are the main reasons that bring people to your organization? . . . 8, HVvre you had requests for any particular, kind of a c t i v i t i e s or services? Please give details 9. What i n your opinion, are the main problems facing older people i n your area ° What services could be provided to help.meet these problems? . . . . . . Would you V>e win T T J? to 6i scuss •*•*><* lopi'c sry* wcW OT"is of Senior Citizens iv? I could make an appointment to meet you or other executive members of your Organization. (Miss) Edda Andresson Research Student, School of Social Work. APPENDIX A . . .2 The University of B r i t i s h Columbia LEISURE-TIME ACTIVITIES FOR SENIOR CITIZENS I am making a survey of services and needs for older people i n your d i s t r i c t . Would you be w i l l i n g to give me the benefit of your experience i n this matter? Stamped addressed envelope enclosed for your convenience. In writing up the survey, no mention w i l l be made of any individual church by name (unless you so desire). Please return promptly. 1. Do you have a substantial number of older persons i n your congregation? Ye s... No.... 2. What i s the (estimated) number of older people who attend Sunday Services at your church? Under 25 25-50 50-100 over 100 3. Has the number changed i n your observation, over the l a s t 5 years? If so, i n what way 4. Does your Church organize special a c t i v i t e s for i t s members, over and above the religious services? Yes... No... 5. Please l i s t these a c t i v i t i e s , and how often they meet: Mainly for older Persons Open to A l l Description Meetings Description Meetings "i (Please use back of sheet i f further description h e l p f u l ) . 6. In your opinion, which of these programs are of most interest to older people? 7. In your Church, are there any special e f f o r t s or plans made to encourage older people to attend church a c t i v i t i e s (describe) 8. iVhat special efforts do you think would help older people to participate more f u l l y i n social a c t i v i t i e s ? ' (describe) 9. Do you see a necessity for social a c t i v i t i e s or programs etc. which have not been met i n your area? Please indicate (Miss) Edda Andresson Research Student, School of Social Work. APPENDIX B