Therapeutic Recreation for the Institutionalized Elderly:

This study examined the perceptions of recreation therapists, administrators and residents from six nursing homes in Alberta, Canada regarding participation in recreation programs. The processes by which the residents were allowed to make decisions were analyzed within a potential staff conflict-abuse model. The results demonstrated that the residents' behaviors were being externally controlled and their needs to have self-determination, control, and autonomy regarding program participation were undermined. The loss of these basic rights is postulated to promote increasing dependence on the staff, thereby enhancing the potential for conflict and further abuse.