Physical-recreational educational actions for the
participation of the Grandparents Group "Alegría
de Vivir"
Abstract
The present investigation takes place in the Grandparents Group "Alegría de Vivir" in
the Vigía-Sandino Popular Council of the city of Santa Clara, which is instituted from
the Department of Physical Culture of the Provincial Center of Sports Medicine of Villa
Clara. Regarding physical-recreational activities in this circle, there are limitations in
the design, animation and diversity of options, which influence the little participation of
the elderly in educational physical-recreational activities, for which the objective of
designing actions Educational physical-recreational activities for the participation of
the elderly, in the “Alegría de Vivir” Grandfather Group of the Vigía-Sandino Popular
Council. In the development of the investigation, methods of the theoretical and
empirical level are used, among them: document analysis, observation, survey,
triangulation, specialist criteria and pre-experiment. The design of the actions allows
better planning and development of educational physical-recreational activities, which
are adapted to the elderly. The specialists value the proposal as necessary and feasible.
Its application allows and favors the increase in the participation of the elderly, who
say that they like the activities, it helps them to interact with the natural environment,
they feel confidence and security in themselves and satisfaction of participating together
with their peers and family.
Keywords: physical-recreational educational activities, older adult participation
Introduction
For the World Health Organization (WHO, 2002) the study of the quality of life in the
elderly is of great importance with a view to improving the health levels of this segment
of the population. In its 2015 world report on aging and health, the (WHO) states that
physical activity throughout life has the main benefit of increasing longevity and quality
of life in old ages.
In the order of the previous ideas, Jiménez, Núñez and Coto (2013) state that each year
of life in the human body changes occur, which over time become more visible. The
older adult suffers physiological transformations, sudden and chronic depressions, for
which it is important to isolate these negative feelings, strengthening the positive
aspects, through appropriate physical activity practices.
Cabrera, Herrera and Díaz (2018) state that to avoid health problems in this age phase,
specialists indicate the regular practice of physical activity, as well as an adequate diet.
There is evidence that physical activity has implications for quality and life expectancy.
In Cuba, the Grandparents Group become a space for the active and voluntary
participation of the elderly in physical activities, which have the cooperated work of
professionals in medicine, nursing and Physical Culture. In the Program and
methodological guidelines for working with the elderly, guided by the National Institute
of Sports, Physical Education and Recreation (SPhERI) 2017-2020, it is established that
it must be attended by a doctor and / or nurse in conjunction with the Professor of
Physical Culture. There must be unity of action and criteria among them in order to
obtain positive results in order to improve the quality of life of the elderly.
Duque (2000) affirms, as cited in Calero, Díaz, Caiza, Rodríguez and Analuiza (2016)
that recreational activities in the elderly are essential because they maintain the
biopsycho-emotional balance, they are a way of staying active, useful and of feel
socially integrated. In the same sense, Ceballos and Pérez (2000) suggest that promoting
a healthy old age is not only ensuring food, health services, housing comfort, and
hygiene; it is also very important to have a useful, productive and independent life.
Regarding Recreation Sosa (2000) defines it as:
“A set of voluntary experiences of human beings in free time expressed in the
diversity of interests and other motivations for the satisfaction of needs that will
contribute to rest, the recovery of physical and spiritual energies, fun,
improvement of health , social integration and with the environment, towards the
achievement of a full and creative welfare state that constitutes a permanent way
of education and training of the personality for the improvement of the quality of
life, stimulating the protagonism of the subject ”(p .24).
Recreation according to Pérez (2010) is:
“The set of relationships and phenomena that arise in the process of taking
advantage of free time through therapeutic, cognitive, sports or artistic-cultural
activity, without an external compulsion being necessary and through which
happiness, immediate satisfaction and personality development” (p.15).
In the order of the previous ideas, the evaluations of Sosa (2018) are presented who
considers that educational physical recreation, as a Recreation subsystem, stimulates
physical-recreational reasons, emphasizes the satisfaction of needs and from the
physical protagonism- recreation of the subject, generates physical-recreational
participation and displaces its essentially passive attributes from the model.
In the same order and direction, Domínguez (2018) means that to contribute to the
comprehensive approach to educational work from the Physical Recreation discipline,
the educational potentialities of the discipline's content should be used for the sake of a
culture for the use of free time and Rodríguez (2019) refers in relation to the educational
orientation of the physical-recreational sociocultural animation, that the activities must
contribute to the general culture of the participants, safety measures, health promotion,
the rescue of traditions, as well as the development of animation from the design and
the script, with an appropriate vocabulary for different ages.
In observations made to different activities that take place in this Grandparents Group
"Alegría de Vivir" in the Vigía-Sandino Popular Council, which is instituted from the
Department of Physical Culture of the Provincial Center of Sports Medicine of Villa
Clara (PCSM), It is determined that there are limitations in the design of educational
physical-recreational activities for the elderly, little use of traditional games, little
diversity of educational physical-recreational options and little use of animation.
The objective of this work is to design physical-recreational educational actions for the
participation of the elderly, in the Grandfather Group "Alegría de Vivir" of the Vigía-
Sandino Popular Council.
The importance of this research is that it allows better planning and development of
educational physical-recreational activities for the elderly and contributes to the correct
use of free time, in activities adapted to this age group, where guidelines are established
for organize and put into practice the actions, which have a generalization character to
other circles of grandparents, based on their peculiarities.
Materials and methods
To carry out the study, the 32 older adults who attend the “Alegría de Vivir”
Grandparents Group in the Vigía-Sandino Popular Council are taken as the population,
29 of them are female and three are male.
Another population made up of the seven specialists with knowledge in relation to
Physical Recreation and Community Physical Activity.
Other subjects participating in the study.
Three professors who work in the Department of Physical Culture of the Provincial
Center of Sports Medicine of Villa Clara (PCSM).
The methods that are applied are: document analysis in order to verify the orientations
that exist in relation to the work with these subjects; observation in order to verify how
the activities are developed in the Grandparents Group and their participation in them;
survey carried out to teachers to verify the difficulties that exist in their work and
triangulation, as techniques brainstorming is used, to determine the physical-
recreational tastes and preferences of the elderly and the opinion poll through Positive,
Negative and Interesting (P,N,I), based on knowing the criteria of the elderly and the
professionals who participate in the application of the actions.
Statistics are applied, the empirical distribution of frequencies for the analysis of the
results of the observation and the survey, the specialist criterion method to assess the
proposed solution and with the pre-experiment, the initial verification is carried out in
the stage diagnostic from the established dimensions and the results of their application.
Results and Discussion
As a result of the processing of the triangulation between the methods of documentary
analysis, survey and the participatory brainstorming technique, the following is
observed: In planning, it is prevalent that professionals have sometimes received some
preparation for the development of physical-recreational activities, the greatest
limitations correspond to the design and the means for them.
There is a coincidence that safety measures must be taken into account in the
development of physical-recreational activities for the elderly.
In terms of participation, it prevails that the highest attendance corresponds to the
female sex, who are more frequently involved in contributing initiatives. In relation to
tastes and preferences, older adults and professionals coincide in selecting the
excursion, the walk, visiting historical places, taking a tour in the Sandino area, playing
dominoes, checkers, preparing culinary dishes and crafts, participating in traditional
games , play dominoes and dance; participate in culinary dishes and crafts, perform
traditional games, board games, and dance, declaim, and sing.
The evaluation of regular in the promotion of traditions predominates in physical-
recreational activities, it is considered necessary to include activities related to the
legends and stories of the city of Santa Clara and other traditions as a way to stimulate
the participation of the elderly.
There are limitations in animation, by not using the potential of this manifestation for
motivation and the development of different physical-recreational activities.
The promotion of healthy lifestyles is taken into account, however, health talks should
be systematized.
Based on the results of the diagnosis, the actions are designed.
Educational physical-recreational actions for the participation of the elderly in the
Grandfather Group "Alegría de Vivir", of the Vigía-Sandino Popular Council.
Action # 1: Walking around my city.
Action # 2: Culinary activity and crafts.
Action # 3: Festival of traditional games.
Action # 4: Excursion to the Capiro Hill.
Action # 5: Exploring my surroundings.
Action # 6: Festival of stories, cuban country folk “decimas” and dances in
Grandparents Group
An example of one of the activities is explained below:
Design and application of action # 4: Excursion to the Capiro Hill.
Motivation: Remember the historical events that took place on the Capiro Hill, during
the battle of Santa Clara, in December 1958.
Date: December 2nd.
Objectives: To promote the participation of the elderly in physical-recreational activities
in the natural environment through an excursion and relate the elderly with facts of the
local history of the Santa Clara City.
Development: The organization of the activity begins from the previous orientation, by
the teacher of the Circle of Grandparents and the Recreation Teacher, who informs the
motivation, the objectives and explains the way in which the excursion will be carried
out, emphasizing the security measures to be taken into account in the development of
the activity.
Before the departure of the excursion, the pulse and blood pressure of all participants is
taken. The Recreation teacher explains the route to follow, which begins in front of the
Grandparents group area in front of CPSM, located in the “Augusto César Sandino”
Stadium, up to the street with access to the base of Capiro Hill. Getting to the Brisas del
Capiro Restaurant, in this place you rest for five to ten minutes and take the second
pulse.
Next, the professor motivates the dialogue to talk about the historical events that took
place on the Capiro Hill in December 1958 during the battle of Santa Clara. An
exchange is also encouraged to comment on the issue of care and protection of the
environment, and the importance of caring for the flora and fauna that exist in this
place. Return is made by doing the same route planned for the activity, where the third
pulse is taken.
Security measures:
• Presence of the CPSM doctor and nurse.
• Pulse and blood pressure measurement. Initial, pulse taking when arriving at the place,
if necessary a pressure measurement is made with a participant, and the pulse is taken at
the end of the excursion.
• Verify that the participants bring their water bottle.
• Older diabetic adults have to bring sugar, candy, as well as the medicine they use.
• Watch over the care with the traffic of vehicles.
Organizational means: Carry out the coordination through the Department of Physical
Culture of CPSM, the Brisas del Capiro Restaurant administration and the Physical
Recreation teachers of the “Mártires de Barbados” Sports Complex.
Evaluation: Opinion poll through a PNI, which is applied to the elderly, the doctor, the
nurse and other CPSM professionals who participate.
After the actions are designed, they are submitted to the criteria of the specialists who
offer the following evaluations regarding the applicability and feasibility: 100% agree
on the need for their application, stating that the actions designed allow the participation
of the elderly in activities during their free time, outside of class hours.
All affirm (100%) that its feasibility is evidenced in the possibilities of application when
conceiving the development of the actions in the environment where the Grandparents
Group is located, near the place of residence of its participants, in addition its
implementation does not imply the use of expenses and many means.
95% consider that the actions are characterized by taking security measures into account
and the role of grandparents in culinary activities and crafts is encouraged, where they
contribute to the development of means used in recreational activities. Regarding
traditions, 100% believe that they allow participants to relate to the traditional popular
culture of the city of Santa Clara, spaces are created for stories, Cuban country folk
“decimas”, songs and popular and traditional Cuban music.
The practical result of the physical-recreational actions is based on its educational
nature, as a contribution of research for the participation of older adults in activities
where the development of physical-recreational activities is stimulated, from a culture
of use of free time , which are based on the diagnosis of their tastes and preferences, in
which activities that are part of the lived experience are taken into account, such as
traditional games, board games, dances and traditional and popular music.
The benefits of physical-recreational activities for the elderly are highlighted and the
activities are linked to the local history of the city of Santa Clara and environmental
education, starting from its development, highlighting the care and protection of nature
in the environment where they reside.
Comparative analysis of the observations of the diagnosis and the application of
the proposal
In the research, a pre-experiment is carried out that starts from the analysis of the result
of the dimensions established in the diagnosis (pre-test) and, from the result of the
application of seven actions, a post-test for the comparative analysis of the same
dimensions of the participation of the elderly in the Grandparents Group "Alegrias de
vivir", the result is shown below.
Figure 1. Representation of the pretest
Figure 2. Representation of the post-test
0,00%
20,00%
40,00%
60,00%
80,00%
100,00%
Planning Security
measures
participation traditions animation Lifestyle
87,70%
100%
71,50%
85,70%
71,50%
100%
14,20%
0%
28,50%
14,20%
28,50%
0%0% 0% 0% 0%
14,20%
0%
Well
Very well
Bad
0,00%
10,00%
20,00%
30,00%
40,00%
50,00%
60,00%
70,00%
80,00%
90,00%
100,00%
Planning Security
measures
participation traditions animation Lifestyle
87,70%
100%
71,50%
85,70%
71,50%
100%
14,20%
0%
28,50%
14,20%
28,50%
0%0% 0% 0% 0%
14,20%
0%
Well
Very well
Bad
In the planning dimension, there is an increase in six activities that are evaluated as
good, which represents 85.7% and one activity evaluated as regular, which represents
14.2%, in those evaluated as good it is evidenced that the activities are planned from the
design, media initiatives created by the grandparents are provided and an atmosphere of
joy and dissemination of the activity is created.
Regarding the security measures dimension, it is possible to maintain strict compliance
with them, expressed in that the seven activities are evaluated as good, which represents
100%. In participation, the increase is achieved in five activities that are evaluated as
good, which represents 71.5% and evaluated as regular, two, which represents 28.5%, in
those evaluated as good, the interest of grandparents in getting involved in activities,
games, dances, songs and contribute initiatives, however, the attendance of the female
sex continues to prevail, not being the case for the male sex.
In the dimension rescue of traditions, the increase of six activities evaluated as good is
observed, which represents 85.7% and one evaluated as regular, which represents
14.2%, stands out in those evaluated as good that the games are accompanied of themes
of Cuban traditional music, participation in stories, sayings and Cuban country folks
“decimas” are also encouraged.
An increase in five activities is evidenced in the animation dimension, which represents
71.5% and two activities evaluated as regular, which represents 28.5%, in those
evaluated as good it is stated that the teacher and other professionals invited to the
activities use animation to energize and stimulate the different games and activities in
each of the actions put into practice, where the exchange with the participants is
achieved in a comprehensive, cooperative and respectful way.
In the dimension healthy lifestyles, it is possible to systematically maintain activities
where health talks are promoted on issues related to the influences of physical-
recreational activities in this, the seven activities are evaluated as well, which represents
100%. It stands out among the contents that are taught, topics on nutrition, influences of
physical-recreational activities related to the environment for health, as well as the
importance of social activities for the elderly in the community, all of which contributes
to their quality of life.
The comparative analysis of the result of the evaluations of the observations made in the
diagnosis and the evaluation carried out in the application of the physical-recreational
educational actions for the participation of the elderly, in the Grandparents Group
"Alegría de Vivir" of the Vigía –Sandino Popular Council, reflects that work is
maintained in the dimension of safety and lifestyle measures and increases in the
dimensions of planning, participation, traditions and animation, the results are shown in
the pre-experiment.
Conclusions
The physical-recreational educational actions designed are developed based on the
tastes and preferences of older adults based on their interest in participating in
excursions, walks, traditional games, visits to historical places, playing dominoes,
preparing culinary dishes and crafts, as well as dancing, declaiming and singing. The
actions designed feature their planning based on the diversity of options, security
measures, the rescue of traditions, physical-recreational animation, which enables the
participation of the Grandparents Group "Alegría de Vivir", in adapted activities that
contribute to their quality of life.
Thanks
The collaboration of the Subdirectorate of Sports for All and the Department of
Recreation of the Provincial Directorate of Sports of Villa Clara, the Provincial Center
of Sports Medicine of Villa Clara (CPSM) and the teachers of the Master of Physical
Recreation are appreciated.
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