Mentally restorative experiences supporting rehabilitation of high functioning elders recovering from hip surgery

Because mentally restorative experiences are pivotal in the context of rehabilitation and recovery, a prospective descriptive study was designed to learn more about the opportunities for, locations, and actions taken by, a group of elderly people (n = 8) over the age of 60 (average age = 82.5) that resulted in agreeable or pleasurable states of mind and perceived improvement in their ability to pay attention. Both structured and unstructured interviews were used to describe elderly patients' past and current patterns of and preferences for mentally restorative experiences. Data collection procedures were utilized during complete lengths of stay (range = 14-62 days) in sub-acute care. Results demonstrate that the actions elderly people take to create opportunities for mentally restorative experiences are related to past patterns of restorative activities, opportunities made available by the facility, special circumstances of their care, environmental limitations in the immediate care environment, and the degree to which external factors (such as family visits) are readily available. Implications for designing and managing the care environment are discussed.