Haun’s Ecological Ideology in Modern Day Healthcare Environments: Case Examples of Mayo Clinic and University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics/Stead Family Children’s Hospital

Abstract

The academic labor of Paul Haun, who wrote about recreation in hospital settings in the 1950s and 1960s, has consistently engaged the profession of therapeutic recreation. The purpose of this article is to present Haun’s practical application of recreation in modern hospital settings through two case examples: Mayo Clinic and the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics/Stead Family Children’s Hospital. In keeping with Haun’s ecological ideology of recreation in hospital settings, this paper underscores that (1) a parks and recreation framework is valued and beneficial in hospital settings, and (2) therapeutic recreation professionals should focus services on basic leisure programming, while simultaneously providing specific therapy-oriented services. Practical implications include helping therapeutic recreation professionals see the value of a parks and recreation framework, rooted in leisure programming, in hospital settings and to be present and involved in such leisure programming approaches in hospital settings, which are often led by non-therapeutic recreation professionals. Subscribe to TRJ