The elderly living in rural and urban and leisure activities

This research, which focuses on the differentiating and similar leisure time perceptions and behaviors of the elderly living in rural and urban areas, is a qualitatively designed phenomenological study. Since the research is about the leisure time perceptions of the elderly in rural and urban areas, it was deemed appropriate to emphasize the residential differences of the interviewees as rural and urban. When the leisure time perception is evaluated holistically at the end of the research, it is observed that the elderly people in both rural and urban areas generally spend their old age active due to their positive leisure time perception. However, it has been observed that the variables of space, education, income, gender and season reduce the participation of leisure time activities in the rural area, while increasing and diversifying the leisure time participation in the urban area. Although having more opportunities in education, income and the place they live in diversify the leisure participation of urban elders, it has been observed that rural elders also provide similar personal benefits with their leisure time participation, which they can realize with their own low budget, opportunities and capacities. According to the research findings, the views on the physiological benefits of leisure activities for the elderly living in rural and urban areas are that leisure activities add vitality, rejuvenate and provide physical competence; their views on the psychological benefits are to give chance to discharge, to relax, to give peace, to increase the enthusiasm for life, to reduce stress and anxiety; their views on the social benefits are expressed as providing socialization and self-actualization. In this context, it should be the priority of administrations, decision makers, NGOs and public education centers to focus on the fact that adult education opportunities regarding leisure activities should be developed to be user-centered, reflect the local structure and respond to local needs in order to increase the quality of life of the elderly.