Abstract
Demographers continually alert us to the increasing numbers of elderly and how a proportion of this growing cohort will be residing in nursing homes where out of necessity their lives are often controlled by professionals. Recreation activity programming is an integral part in the lives of institutionalized adults and their involvement is a key concern of recreation therapists. This qualitative exploratory study examined, from the older adults' perspective (N = 53), whether or not they were really given free choice in deciding to participate in therapeutic recreation programs. Further, the perceptions of administrators (N = 6) and recreation therapists (N = 6) were compared with those of the nursing home residents. Personal interviews were held in six nursing homes in southem Alberta. All interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim, and content analyzed. Results indicated that free choice was an extremely relative term; hence, some professional behaviors may well be bordering on coercion. Differing opinions on the value and operationalization of the goals of therapeutic recreation present serious implications for consumer choice, education and functional status of the nursing home resident.
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