The experience of older adults with anxiety and depression living in the community: Aging, occupation and mental wellbeing:

IntroductionAs life expectancy grows so does the need for mental health services for older people. Occupational science and therapy literature demonstrates how occupation supports older adults' wellbeing, but there has been little research into the relationship between occupation and health for those with anxiety and depression. The aim of this study was to understand the occupational experience of Irish older adults with anxiety and depression so as to inform therapeutic programmes.MethodA qualitative research design with a phenomenological framework was adopted. A total of five community-dwelling people with diagnoses of anxiety and/or depression were purposively selected to participate in semi-structured interviews. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.FindingsThe themes which emerged – ‘Occupation as a marker for wellness’ and ‘Sustaining a sense of occupational identity’ – support existing literature and reveal new information about interactions between occupational identity crisis an...