Background: National standards for nursing homes in Ireland require that residents are offered a choice of recreational and stimulating activities to meet their needs and preferences.
Aims/objectives: To investigate residents' perceptions of leisure and social occupational choice in nursing homes in Ireland to determine if occupational choice is facilitated.
Materials and method: Qualitative-descriptive design - nursing home residents completed two semi-structured interviews that explored their experiences of leisure and social occupational engagement.
Results: Two overarching themes with six associated sub-themes emerged. From residents' perspectives, social and leisure occupational choice was dependent on: Environmental factors (nursing homes' Cultural, Social, Physical, and Temporal Environments) and Personal factors (residents' Health Status and Personal Attitudes).
Conclusion: The cultural environment had the most significant influence on residents' leisure and social occupational choice, highlighting the importance of person-centred care within nursing homes, to promote occupational choice. Resident's health status was also identified as a contributing factor.
Significance: Occupational therapists could play a critical role in supporting the leisure and social occupational choices of nursing home residents by developing residents' skills, educating staff and adapting tasks and the environment to limit/reduce occupational deprivation.
Keywords: Nursing home residents; occupational deprivation; occupational engagement; older adults; well-being.