Participating in a Senior Summer Camp - Insights on How it Affected the Participants Life and Mitigated Their Loneliness                      Veronika Wallroth1, Kjerstin Larsson2, Agneta Schröder2 1Department of Culture and Society (IKOS), Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. 2University Health Care Research Center, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden 

Proposal typeOral PresentationAbstractLoneliness is seen as a risk factor for decreased physical and mental health. According to the Swedish Social Services Act the municipality has an obligation to ensure that older adult should not be alone against their own will. 

Senior summer camps in Sweden offer older adults a chance to socialize and reduce loneliness and social isolation. However, few studies have examined how older adults themselves describe the experience and how it might have affected their daily lives after the stay. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring the experiences of older adults who participated in a senior summer camp.

The study used a qualitative design with a phenomenographic approach to explore the variations in how older adults perceived the impact of the camp on their lives. Nineteen older adults aged 66-94 years were interviewed. Three descriptive categories emerged: “Mitigating loneliness,” “Developing as a person,” and “Gaining inspiration.”

 The study found that the older adults experienced lasting positive effects on their quality of life from their stay at the summer camp. The sense of community at the camp helped them break the experience of loneliness, they improved their self-confidence, and they gained a more positive attitude to life.

 Senior summer camps can have a positive impact on the lives of older adults, helping to reduce loneliness, improve self-confidence, and promote a more positive outlook on life.

Keywordssenior summer campsocial activitiesolder adultlonelinessquality of life