Introduction: Statistics show that women are more likely than men to stay alone in old age. For a satisfactory aging in place, it is important to maintain and promote participation in occupations. Participation in occupations has a significant impact on an individual’s health and well-being. Successful participation in occupations gives older people a sense of competence and helps to maintain identity; It is an important factor in how old an individual feels and whether he or she experiences life positively. Purpose: The aim of this diploma work was to deepen our understanding of occupations that older women aging in place alone participate in. Methods: We conducted a qualitative study with four older women who met the inclusion criteria. Each of them was photographed while participating in occupation of their own choosing. We then conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews using photo elicitation. The collected data were analysed using a reflexive thematic analysis and the themes and sub-themes were combined into a meaningful whole with the help of a thematic map. Results: We designed three themes: Work, Setting Boundaries and For the Soul. The themes Work and For the Soul each have three sub-themes, and are linked by the theme Setting Boundaries. One of the main findings of our research is that the participants experience their occupations differently – some as work, others more for pleasure. In the occupations that the participants experienced as work, we observed three main characteristics – continuity, altruism and a sense of usefulness. In occupations described in the theme For the Soul, we have described three main characteristics: The need for alone time, the joy of spending time with children and the significance of hobbies for them. Discussion and conclusion: We linked our findings to a specific category of occupations, called »engaging occupations.« We commented on the research process, our experience of using visual research methods and conducting the analysis. According to our data, this is the first study in the field of occupational therapy and occupational science in Slovenia, in which visual research methods were used. We made proposals for further research in the field of aging in place.
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