Postretirement Leisure Participation in a Collective Culture: Experiences and Perspectives of Older Adults and Family Members in an Indian Metropolis

Leisure is essential to support quality of life following retirement. In India, there is limited research on the leisure participation of older adults. In collective cultures such as India, family members may also influence older adults’ leisure participation. Therefore, the present study aimed to understand the experiences and perspectives of Indian older adults and their family members regarding leisure participation following retirement. The present study used an interpretative phenomenological approach with in-depth interviews. The participants were eight dyads of older adults and their family members residing in Mumbai, an Indian metropolis. The findings suggest that older adults described activities that gave them satisfaction as leisure, such as preretirement hobbies, work-related activities, volunteering, and activities for and with family, including household chores. The study also identified personal, familial, and contextual factors influencing older adults’ leisure participation. The findings of this study can inform the provision of contextually relevant interventions to support meaningful leisure participation in older adults and healthy aging.