Objectives: Data on time use and role participation can provide rich information that can help occupational therapists better understand older people's lives. This study aimed to (i) describe the time use and role participation of community-dwelling people aged 65 years and older, (ii) analyse whether time use and role participation changed with increasing age, and (iii) determine if there is a link between maintenance of role participation and life satisfaction in older age.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional design, interviews including the Activity Configuration, Role Checklist and Life Satisfaction Index-Z were used to collect data on 195 participants (mean age 75 years, 58.5% female).

Results: Participants spent most of their time on sleep (8.4 h/day), solitary leisure (4.5 h/day), instrumental activities of daily living (3.1 h/day), social leisure (2.7 h/day) and basic activities of daily living (2.6 h/day). The most common roles were friend (96.4%), family member (95.4%) and home maintainer (87.2%). Participants aged 75 years and older spent significantly more time on solitary leisure and less time on paid work and transport compared to those aged 65–74 years. Role maintenance was significantly related to greater life satisfaction in participants aged 75–84 years.

Conclusion: Older people's occupations and roles are diverse, and increasing age does not appear to reduce occupational or role engagement. The value of roles is not always reflected in the amount of time devoted to them and facilitating continued participation in valued roles may be important for older people's life satisfaction.