Retention Of Care Workers Research Articles

Factors associated with Finnish home care workers job satisfaction

Abstract Background In Finland, home care is seen as a primary form of care for older people. However, rising numbers of clients with increasingly complex conditions have led to deteriorated working conditions and poor job satisfaction among home care staff. In this study, we examined if greater amount of direct care time, higher team autonomy, number of unique clients, and client’s need for care are associated with job satisfaction. Methods Data for the study was collected in October 2021. The amount of direct care and number of unique clients were obtained from a staff time measurement in home care units. The level of team autonomy was obtained from a survey sent to managers of participating organizations. Demographic information and a score for job satisfaction were retrieved from a survey for workers in the participating organizations. Client’s need for care was based on Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI). Data was analyzed using multiple linear regression. Results The number of respondents was 387, of which the majority were practical nurses 307 (79%). Higher team autonomy was associated with better job satisfaction, whereas higher number of unique clients and higher amount of direct care time were associated with poorer job satisfaction. The models were adjusted with clients’ care needs, but these effects will be further examined. Conclusions The results demonstrated that the workers are more satisfied if there is enough time to perform the work, they have adequate number of clients, and teams have autonomy over their work. This seems to be the case despite the level of clients’ need for care, however this needs further analysis. By increasing job satisfaction, better retention of care workers and attraction of care work might be achieved. Key messages • Higher team autonomy is associated with care worker’s job satisfaction. • Enhancing care continuity is important, therefore, when planning home care workers’ workday, it is important to consider that the workers could work with clients they know.

Characteristics of Elderly Care Work That Influence Care Workers’ Turnover Intentions

Turnover and retention of care workers in long-term care (LTC) settings is an important issue. However, much research about turnover in LTC settings has focused on licensed nurses or nurse assistants. Moreover, many studies have utilized quantitative methods. The purpose of this study was to understand the characteristics of elderly care work that influence the turnover intentions of care workers in LTC. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 care workers and analyzed using the content analysis method. As a result, seven categories were extracted as the characteristics of the elderly care work associated with turnover, including low social appreciation about care work, precarious employment, unprotected labor rights and safety, an unfair wage system, unclear scope and role of work, absence of training and supervision to enhance professionalism, and emotional labor. For the turnover prevention and retention of care workers, it is necessary to resolve the insecurity of care work. In particular, guidelines for improving the wage level and working conditions of care workers should be instituted, and at the same time, government supervision is required. Education is necessary to strengthen the professionalism of care workers and ensure skilled care work.

Japanese care workers' perception of dementia-related physically and psychologically aggressive behaviour symptoms.

The purpose of this study was to explore Japanese care workers' attributions, beliefs and cultural explanations of physically and psychologically aggressive behaviour symptoms. Physically and psychologically aggressive behaviour symptoms by older people with dementia have been associated with occupational stress among care workers in the United States and other Western countries and may contribute to staff turnover. However, few studies related to this issue have been conducted in Japan, where care worker reaction to physically and psychologically aggressive behaviour symptoms might be different because of cultural and customary differences in how care is provided for older people. This study reports on the results of three open-ended questions that were part of a larger study that explored Japanese care workers' experiences with aggressive behaviour symptoms in persons with dementia. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 137 care workers in 10 nursing homes in the northern and western areas of Japan. The answers to the open-ended questions were analysed using a content analysis. Most of the participants indicated that they believed that physically and psychologically aggressive behaviour symptoms came from residents' stress from dementia. Approximately, one-fourth of the participants responded that Japanese values such as chu (loyalty) and joge (hierarchy) influenced their work with residents with physically and psychologically aggressive behaviour symptoms. Seventeen participants (12%) commented either that they respected older people or that they respected older people as persons who had had many experiences in life. Interestingly, 43 responses (41.0%) indicated that physically and psychologically aggressive behaviour symptoms influenced quality of care positively, while, not surprisingly, about 30 responses indicated that those behaviour symptoms influenced quality of care negatively. Findings from this study indicate that the training and education needs to focus on understand and preventing the effects of stress for individuals living with dementia to reduce aggressive incidents and increase recruitment and retention of care workers.

Supporting Home Care Aides

The demand for personal care workers in home-based care is expected to double with the aging of the baby boomer population at the same time that home care agencies struggle with high rates of turnover. This article examines the job experience of 171 home care aides who remained on the job over 18 months of data collection in the longitudinal home care worker retention study. The three groups of themes that emerged from the analysis of telephone interviews with study participants-challenges of the job, compensating strategies, and potential employer interventions-provide insight on how to offer support to these valuable workers.

Commissioning social care for older people: influencing the quality of direct care

ABSTRACTThe delivery of personalised support to vulnerable older people is largely contingent on those staff who provide direct care. These care workers play an invaluable role in supporting vulnerable older people that may have increasingly complex needs either at home or in care homes. Internationally, concern has been raised both about the recruitment and retention of care workers; and their skills and competencies because of their importance in the delivery of quality care services. Using both primary and secondary data, this paper explores commissioning and contracting arrangements for domiciliary care and care home provision in England and their influence on the recruitment and retention of staff in these services. The implications of the findings are discussed in the context of two factors which influence continuity of care, a proxy for quality services for older people: training opportunities for staff and factors affecting the supply of labour from which direct carers are traditionally recruited. It is suggested that some of the drivers of quality in the provision of care may not be susceptible to the influence of commissioners and providers. Nevertheless, training may aid the recruitment and retention of care workers and provide one way in which they can promote a higher standard of care for older people.