Older assistant workers in intermediate care facilities, and their influence on the physical and mental burden of elderly care staff

BMC Health Services Research

Shuichiro Watanabe¹  Kentaro Higashi²  Hiroshi Murayama³  Hiroki Mori³  Yoshinori Fujiwara³  Saya Watanabe³  Ryota Sakurai³  Tomoya Sagara³ 

[1]Graduate School of Gerontology, J. F. Oberlin University, 3758 Tokiwa-machi, Machida-shi, 194-0294, Tokyo, Japan

[2]Japan Association of Geriatric Health Services Facilities, 2-6-15, Shiba-koen, Minato-ku, 105-0011, Tokyo, Japan

[3]Mie Prefecture Association of Geriatric Health Services Facilities, Kawage-cho, Higashichisato, 510-0303, Tsu-shi, Mie, Japan

[4]Research Team for Social Participation and Community Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2 Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, 173-0015, Tokyo, Japan

关键词: Elderly care home;    Emotional exhaustion;    Older adults;    Work;    Retirement;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12913-021-07302-6

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundAs there is a shortage of care staff in elderly care homes, seniors are expected to work as assistants to help the care staff. This study examined the influence of older assistant workers in intermediate elderly care facilities on care staff, specifically focusing on emotional exhaustion which is a sign of burnout. These facilities provide long-term nursing and supportive care to older residents.MethodsData from a mail survey of intermediate elderly care facilities with older assistant workers were analyzed. Care staff were asked about the advantages and disadvantages of introducing older assistant workers in elderly care work, and their degree of emotional exhaustion. We also assessed work self-evaluations of older assistant workers, including the benefits of the work, and physical and mental burdens.ResultsA significantly large number of care staff reported improvements in workload with the employment of older assistant workers. Intermediate elderly care facilities enrolling more older assistant workers showed lower mean emotional exhaustion among care staff, independent of possible covariates. While older assistant workers felt that their work contributed to helping both care users and staff, they also reported a mental burden.ConclusionsOur results suggest that older assistant workers can play a significant role in reducing the physical and mental burden of intermediate elderly care facility staff. Thus, employing older assistant workers can be an effective approach to addressing shortages of care staff in elderly care homes.

【 授权许可】

CC BY