Leaving patients sitting around all day with little or nothing to do is just not good enough, argue the staff of Ards Hospital in Northern Ireland. They explain how the appointment of an activities nurse has made the world of difference

Exercise and movement, art and musical therapy, group and individual games, reminiscence sessions, craft work and gardening are among some of the activities being undertaken by elderly patients (some of them in their nineties) in Ards Hospital in Northern Ireland. The activities are part of an activity nursing programme introduced gradually over the past year in Boyd House. Other activities include outings to local places of interest, church services, the use of visiting professional entertainers, photographic slides for recall therapy and shopping trips.