Currently it is unknown what people receiving adult day services (ADS) understand as leisure and the activities they prefer remain unknown. To address these gaps, we investigated the understanding of leisure of people receiving ADS. We conducted semistructured interviews with 15 people receiving ADS in Germany. Interviews were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The sweet bitter symphony emphasizes the sensations that shape participant's understanding of leisure. Young, wild & free! describes the types of preferred activities. Is this our last tango? refers to the barriers. Anchors aweigh! the [ongoing] voyage describes the process by which leisure is transferred from private domain to the ADS environment. The beginning is the end is the beginning illustrates the paradox of understanding the ADS as offering a form of leisure and the adaptation to engage in nonpreference-based activities. Our findings indicate the importance in offering leisure activities that enable preference-based engagement in the ADS.
Keywords: adult day care; community; dementia; long-term care; person-centered.