At a time when the aged care sector is undergoing continuous reform, self-care may provide protection against burnout from change fatigue.
The ongoing impact of environmental and political change on burnout has been highlighted by the voices of aged care staff in a recent study investigating the protective impact of self-care.
The study, recently published in Geriatrics journal, was co-authored by End of Life Directions for Aged Care (ELDAC) Self-Care Room developers Dr Anna Lane and Professor Jennifer Tieman, and was designed to understand aged care workers’ views of self-care.
Aged care staff who were interviewed for the study in 2021 shared self-identified reasons for workplace burnout and fatigue, reflecting on how the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, Royal Commission and pending aged care reforms created an ever-changing and demanding work environment that provided fertile ground for burnout.
“On top of COVID-19, post the Royal Commission is just change after change after change. That’s fatiguing,” said a registered nurse and chief executive who participated in the study.
Burnout was defined in the study as a “psychological syndrome emerging as a prolonged response to chronic interpersonal stressors on the job”, while workplace challenges were listed as a reason that would “lead aged care workers to cut back on their hours or leave the workforce completely”.
Aside from the toll on workers’ own health and wellbeing, burnout is harmful to the aged care sector because it causes high staff turnover and workforce shortages, and lower quality patient care.
In contrast, self-care was highlighted by the study as a strategy to protect aged care workers against burnout and compassion fatigue due to occupational stress. This was raised in interviews with aged care staff as essential to their ability to provide high-quality care for others.
“Participants felt self-care was important but something they often overlooked or let slip because the core business of aged care is to care for others. They frequently described how the nature of the job made it difficult for them to care for themselves,” the study said. As one participant shared, “We work in an industry where we’re here to care for others and often forget to take care of ourselves.”
While self-care is often viewed as an individual responsibility, the study suggested that promotion of staff wellbeing requires a “whole-of-system approach” facilitated by aged care organisations supporting staff, since many of the factors that affect aged care workers are beyond their control.
“There are implications for organisations and how they create conditions in which self-care practice may be normalised and enabled,” the study said.
“Organisational responses (such as supervisor support and development of adaptive coping skills) can facilitate the recognition of workplace pressures and enhance self-care.”
Furthermore, the study found that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to supporting self-care, as the aged care workers interviewed for the study listed a diverse array of practices and behaviours that they participate in (at home and at work) for self-care.
“In a multicultural workforce, there are likely to be considerable differences between people in their attitudes and behaviours towards selfcare,” the study found.
“For self-care to be effective and to have an impact, people will benefit from having access to a range of resources that they can personalise.”
For more information on the role of self-care for aged care and downloadable resources for individuals and organisations, visit the Self-Care Room on the ELDAC website.
ELDAC