"...the Commission had found that although conditions varied among facilities, a common factor eroding the quality of life for patients was idleness. Without meaningful activities, most patients spent their days either sitting in overcrowded dayrooms, wandering, sleeping or staring at television, with few opportunities to develop or retain skills necessary for maintaining a sense of worth and good mental health. "

quoted from http://www.cqcapd.state.ny.us/publications/pubtext.htm