As individuals grow older, they usually reorganize their everyday life in response to several changes. Understanding how older adults adapt their time use is therefore crucial for identifying the processes that sustain well-being in later life.

This paper investigates the relationship between how older adults (60 and over) allocate their time across everyday activities and their Life Satisfaction (LS), drawing on data from the 2013-2014 Italian Time Use Survey (ISTAT). Activities are categorized into four broad domains: regenerative, productive, and consumptive, further divided into active and passive leisure.

We adopt a compositional perspective to assess how different combinations of time use are. associated with LS: every individual has only 24 hours in a day, and time dedicated to one activity necessarily reduces the time available for others. Compositional Data Analysis (CoDA) is used to model time use in terms of balance between domains.

Our results show that spending more time on productive and active leisure activities is positively associated with LS. In contrast, time spent on regenerative activities is associated with lower LS. Passive leisure appears neutral in its association with LS. Importantly, the effects of time reallocations are not symmetrical: reducing active leisure in favor of productive tasks tends to lower LS, while modest increases in active leisure – especially for younger seniors – enhance well-being when subtracted to productive activities, though with diminishing returns. The asymmetry may thus reflect the psychological benefits associated with self-directed time, compared to the potentially demanding nature of productive tasks.

Loneliness in later life is a growing concern, but it is not always a direct and necessaire consequence of being alone. This study examines how both objective conditions (solitude) and subjective perceptions (loneliness) shape emotional experiences in an aged context as Italy. A novel focus is introduced by hypothesizing that time use itself may exacerbate or alleviate loneliness depending on the activity’s emotional and relational context.

Using data from the 2013-2014 Italian Time Use Survey (9,069 individuals aged 60+), three interrelated dimensions are analysed: (1) de facto solitude, i.e. the actual time spent physically alone; (2) perceived social connectedness; and (3) daily time spent in several activities, exploring how daily time dedicated to different kinds of activities may differently be associated to individuals’ sense of connection or isolation. Loneliness is measured by asking individuals whether they wish to spend more time with others. The analysis is conducted through Structural Equation Models (SEM).

Findings reveal that when activities are not accounted for, time spent alone appears to have a counterintuitive protective role, potentially reflecting a form of voluntary solitude. However, once activities are included in the model, the effect of solitude disappears, indicating that what individuals do is more important than the mere fact of being alone. Notably, care activities are associated with greater loneliness, suggesting that the obligatory, emotionally demanding nature of such tasks may diminish the relational quality of these interactions. In contrast, freely chosen, purposeful engagements (volunteering, sports, cultural participation) consistently reduce loneliness, even when performed in solitude.

The aging global population poses significant public health challenges while regular physical activity has been shown to mitigate these risks. However, physical activity levels remain low, highlighting the need for effective interventions. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT), this study examines the impact of an Augmented Reality (AR)-based intervention on physical activity motivation among older adults. The intervention integrates SDT-based motivational stimuli targeting human needs to foster sustainable behavior change.

Sixty participants aged 65 and older were randomly assigned to one of four groups: AR with motivational stimuli, AR without stimuli, face-to-face training with stimuli, and face-to-face training without stimuli. Over four weekly sessions, participants engaged in physical activity exercises designed to promote cognitive and physical engagement, with AR-based sessions incorporating immersive environments and adaptive feedback.

Pre-post assessment results revealed significant improvements in competence and intrinsic motivation for participants receiving motivational stimuli, with the AR-motivation group demonstrating the highest competence scores. Although autonomy improved across conditions, its effect was less pronounced in AR settings. Social relatedness showed greater improvement in face-to-face settings, suggesting that AR environments may lack the richness of real-time human interaction.

These findings underscore the potential of integrating SDT principles with AR to enhance physical activity motivation in older adults, particularly for promoting competence and intrinsic motivation. However, the limited improvement in relatedness highlights the need for future interventions to incorporate more interactive and social components in virtual environments.

Feelings of energy loss and fatigue are common during aging. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) offers a novel approach to understanding these dynamics, emphasizing two constructs: Subjective Vitality and Subjective Depletion.

This study validates the Subjective Vitality and Depletion Scale (SVDS) among 726 older adults from the United States and Italy, who also completed measures of general health, personality, and physical activity.

Confirmatory factor analyses supported the SVDS structure, showing full measurement invariance across gender and age, and partial scalar invariance across cultural contexts. The SVDS demonstrated robust validity (convergent, discriminant, and nomological).

Results confirm that the SVDS is a reliable and valid measure for older adults. Evaluating energy dynamics through the SVDS is crucial for developing interventions that enhance well-being and quality of life.

Background

Literature data on Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) for older people with dementia highlights potential benefits on behavioural disorders (e.g., agitation, hyperactivity, aggressive behaviours and irritability), depression and anxiety. Moreover, animals may encourauge social interactions and improve communication abilities. The majority of available studies were conducted in the nursing home setting. The present study investigated the feasibility and effects of an AAI programme in older individuals attending day care centres.

Methods

This pilot observational study involved 11 subjects aged ≥ 65 with a diagnosis of dementia, who attended a day care centre in Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy, and participating participated to in a 3-months AAI programme with dogs (12 weekly sessions). A Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment was conducted at baseline (T0) and after the intervention (T1). The following variables were evaluated: behavioural symptoms associated with dementia (assessed using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, NPI), anxiety and depressive symptoms (assessed using the RAID and Cornell Scale), and quality of life (assessed using the QUALID scale).

Results

Participants had a median MMSE score of 10.9, and only 6 out of 11 were able to walk independently. No adverse events occurred during AAI sessions. No statistically significant differences emerged with regard to behavioural disorders, anxiety symptoms and quality of life, presumably due to the limited sample size. A significant reduction in the Cornell scale score was observed, indicating a reduction in depressive symptoms (median score 2 [interquartile range 0 – 3] at T1 vs 4 [2 – 9] at T0, p=0.025).

Main Implications

It is well-documented that behavioural and psychological symptoms associated with dementia have a relevant impact on the quality of life of older adults and their caregivers. A number of non-pharmacological therapies have proved helpful in reducing symptom burden and medication use. This pilot study suggests that AAI may contribute to the reduction of depressive symptoms in older adults with dementia attending a day care centre. Whilst these findings require confirmation in larger samples, they may provide a rationale for the implementation of AAI in day care centres, as a non-pharmacological healthcare strategy to improve psychoaffective disorders.