“Death Is Part of the Job” in Long-Term Care Homes
For long-term care (LTC) home staff who work directly with residents, death, dying, and grief are day-to-day experiences in their working life. However, staff are often overlooked for grief and bereavement support. This exploratory research used a qualitative approach to understand LTC staff’s grief...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SAGE Publishing
2015-03-01
|
| Series: | SAGE Open |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015573912 |
| _version_ | 1818341428383711232 |
|---|---|
| author | Jill Marcella Mary Lou Kelley |
| author_facet | Jill Marcella Mary Lou Kelley |
| author_sort | Jill Marcella |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | For long-term care (LTC) home staff who work directly with residents, death, dying, and grief are day-to-day experiences in their working life. However, staff are often overlooked for grief and bereavement support. This exploratory research used a qualitative approach to understand LTC staff’s grief and bereavement experience and to identify the perceived support needs of nurses and personal support workers who work in two faith-based non-profit care homes in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Findings indicated that participants’ experiences are complex, shaped by the emotional impact of each loss, the cumulative burden of ongoing grief, an organizational culture in LTC where death is hidden, and the lack of organizational attention to staffs’ support and education needs. Eight recommendations were developed from the findings. It is hoped that this research will assist in the development of organizational policy and procedures, addressing the health and well-being of direct care workers in LTC homes. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T15:58:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9f060afe64364b03aaae0b5d8f52d764 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2158-2440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T15:58:38Z |
| publishDate | 2015-03-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | SAGE Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-9f060afe64364b03aaae0b5d8f52d7642022-12-21T23:39:15ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open2158-24402015-03-01510.1177/215824401557391210.1177_2158244015573912“Death Is Part of the Job” in Long-Term Care HomesJill Marcella0Mary Lou Kelley1Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, CanadaLakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, CanadaFor long-term care (LTC) home staff who work directly with residents, death, dying, and grief are day-to-day experiences in their working life. However, staff are often overlooked for grief and bereavement support. This exploratory research used a qualitative approach to understand LTC staff’s grief and bereavement experience and to identify the perceived support needs of nurses and personal support workers who work in two faith-based non-profit care homes in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Findings indicated that participants’ experiences are complex, shaped by the emotional impact of each loss, the cumulative burden of ongoing grief, an organizational culture in LTC where death is hidden, and the lack of organizational attention to staffs’ support and education needs. Eight recommendations were developed from the findings. It is hoped that this research will assist in the development of organizational policy and procedures, addressing the health and well-being of direct care workers in LTC homes.https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015573912 |
| spellingShingle | Jill Marcella Mary Lou Kelley “Death Is Part of the Job” in Long-Term Care Homes SAGE Open |
| title | “Death Is Part of the Job” in Long-Term Care Homes |
| title_full | “Death Is Part of the Job” in Long-Term Care Homes |
| title_fullStr | “Death Is Part of the Job” in Long-Term Care Homes |
| title_full_unstemmed | “Death Is Part of the Job” in Long-Term Care Homes |
| title_short | “Death Is Part of the Job” in Long-Term Care Homes |
| title_sort | death is part of the job in long term care homes |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015573912 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jillmarcella deathispartofthejobinlongtermcarehomes AT maryloukelley deathispartofthejobinlongtermcarehomes |