ABSTRACT
The idea of providing an environment that promotes the value of activities within residential settings is one which most of us aspire to. In general, many activities workers come from a background of working in day centre settings, where the emphasis upon the benefits of therapeutic activities is well recognised, and structures the organisation and day-today running of the centre. Care staff can feel this way because of the dilemmas and demands of their jobs, together with the manner in which they are often treated. On the contrary, many staff would appreciate having more time to spend participating in activities, but often feel under too much pressure to cope with this extra responsibility. It would appear that little consultation has taken place with care staff about how the situation could be improved and how to resolve these dilemmas.
