Introduction: Ageing of society constitutes a significant problem of the modern age. Ageing is a biological process which causes the organism's exposure to many changes, on the one hand physiological and psychological, and on the other hand occupational. The elderly are becoming more and more independent requiring assistance with their everyday activities, then the time to move to the homes for the elderly arrives. The task of the occupational therapists is to find meaningful occupations aiming at ensuring health and wellbeing for people of all age brackets, also in old age. Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to identify the differences in occupations of the elderly before and during life in elderly care home. Methods: The research was based on the qualitative method of data collection, i.e. semi structured interview. The research involved five residents of Center slepih, slabovidnih in starejših Škofja Loka (Center for the blind, visually impaired and elderly persons). The questions included in the interview targeted the rituals in which the interviewees were involved before and after moving to the Center. The data collected provided for the identification of meaningful occupations. Results: Following the processing and analysis of the data collected, the four main categories were identified: active old-age, social contacts, major changes during the lifetime, and rituals. Discussion and conclusion: The research established that the elderly persons in institutional care were involved in more different activities than when living at home. The research also showed that residing in the home for the elderly restricted the freedom to choose the occupation wanted in particular due to poorer physical health of a person, which prevents him or her from undertaking the same occupations as before the move. However, despite everything, the elderlys are very satisfied with their move to the elderly care home.
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