Staff perspectives of relationships in aged care: A qualitative approach

Abstract

A relationship-centred approach to care as well as staff training and education should be encouraged to assist the development of therapeutic relationships and the management of professional boundaries.

Determinants of the quality of care relationships in long-term care - a systematic review

“…Some care professionals of physically or mentally frail older adults were described as solely focusing on routine tasks [ 16 – 18 , 29 , 39 ]. A task-centered focus was often related to time shortage and high workload; as a result, these care professionals did not have time to talk to clients [ 39 ]. Focusing solely on routine tasks might therefore hinder the quality of a care relationship.…”

Nursing home resident relationship types: What supports close relationships with peers & staff?

“…Previous work has also found a need to have a caregiver involved in conversations with residents as they often have difficulty maintaining conversations with others independently (Mok & Müller, 2014;Murphy, Tester, Hubbard, Downs, & MacDonald, 2005 At last, friendly resident-staff relationships were facilitated in this study when residents experienced positive responses to their need for care, had opportunities to interact with staff outside of care tasks and were acknowledged by staff for their uniqueness. A lack of time for interaction and a focus on care needs only during staffresident interactions has been noted in past research to preclude staff-resident relationship development (Jones & Moyle, 2016;Liukkonen, 1995). Policies that allow staff to provide "extras" for residents and spend noncare time together may promote friendly staff-resident relationships.…”

Delivering inclusive and quality services in community and residential aged care settings

“…The one article included from Australia stressed the importance of fostering relationships between formal carer, informal carer and client to improve the quality and safety of services delivered . A second study, in 12 community organisations, described formal carers’ perceptions that the shift to relationship‐driven care had confused staff about where to draw professional boundary lines with clients . The authors suggest that professional boundaries need to be reconsidered, to provide clarity to staff about tasks and responsibilities and to promote a sense of connectedness and community within the service delivery space .…”

“…A second study, in 12 community organisations, described formal carers’ perceptions that the shift to relationship‐driven care had confused staff about where to draw professional boundary lines with clients . The authors suggest that professional boundaries need to be reconsidered, to provide clarity to staff about tasks and responsibilities and to promote a sense of connectedness and community within the service delivery space . There is evidence that consumer directed care can improve client outcomes and service quality.…”