An investigation into the relationship between engagement in valued occupations and life satisfaction for elderly South Australians

As the proportion of elderly people in the Australian population is rapidly increasing, especially the relative proportions of people over the age of 85, our society is faced with the challenge of planning and providing health and welfare services that meet the needs of the elderly. This exploratory study aimed to examine how a sample of elderly people spent their time, and the portion of that time that was spent in valued occupations. Relationships between engagement in valued occupations and life satisfaction were explored. Data were collected by subjects recording every occupation they engaged in over two days, recording the percentage of time spent in valued occupations and completing a life satisfaction scale. Fifty‐eight subjects living independently in the community were enrolled in the study by a random doorknocking procedure. All subjects spent some time in sleep, personal care and passive leisure. The hypothesis that as time spent in valued occupations increased, life satisfaction scores would increase, was not supported. Life satisfaction was not correlated with any occupation category. Gender differences were found in engagement in occupations and in the amount of time spent alone.