11 informal unstructured interviews with older people based in the county of
Leicestershire, UK were conducted in order to explore the types of issues that were
likely to arise for older people concerning the idea of using playgrounds. These issues
were used to inform the development of an agenda for a series of discussion groups.
The sample was collated from older adults using or passing through a local park. The
age range was 58-85 years of age (average age 67.6).
6 discussion groups were conducted within Leicestershire, with a total of 96 people
taking part. The choice of these groups was opportunistic based upon a list of
organisations that provide social activities for older people. This information was found
from Leicestershire County Council’s online Community Information Network. 26 groups
were contacted of which 6 agreed to take part in the study. Table One summarises the
make up of the 6 groups. The participants were told that the discussion group was being
held in order to gather their opinions and experiences regarding playground use. They
were shown pictures from the Finnish study showing older people using indoor
playground equipment including balance boards, slides, crawling tubes and rope
ladders.