Sustainable staff well-being within older adult mental health

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to explore how staff attend to their well-being when working in an inpatient mental health setting with older adults with dementia and complex mental health needs; how staff understand the link between their well-being and the well-being of patients. Design/methodology/approach -A semi-structured group interview was held with 11 members of two multidisciplinary teams. The discussion was audio-recorded and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings -Staff reported managing their well-being by both connecting with and avoiding the difficult emotions of the work. The team avoided the gravity of the work through humour, a task-focus, an absence of thinking and the displacement of workplace frustrations onto an outgroup. Connecting with emotions was done in tolerable ways: in contained reflective spaces, in the presence of supportive others, through genuine connections with patients as people and when the organisation demonstrated care for the staff. Practical implications -Avoidant strategies appeared to represent short-term ways of maintaining staff well-being, while connecting with the gravity of the work appeared to represent what we hope is a more sustainable approach to managing well-being. A crucial premise for staff well-being is teams embedded within organisations that care for their employees. Originality/value -Poor staff well-being can have serious consequences for an organisation, particularly in the existentially challenging environment of dementia care. This study offers a unique opportunity to explore staff well-being in a UK inpatient mental health setting with older adults with dementia and complex mental health needs.

Understanding compassion for people with dementia in medical and nursing students

“…Gold standard ‘person-centred care’ is underpinned by empathy towards the person with dementia and is reliant upon direct and meaningful engagement, with value being attributed, and the ability to view the world from their perspective [2, 15, 16]. However, the healthcare experiences of many people with dementia in the community and in hospital are often poor [17] with an over-reliance on task-oriented, as opposed to compassionate care [18].…”

Investigating the impact of music therapy on two in-patient psychiatric wards for people living with dementia: retrospective observational study

“…Antipsychotic medication used to treat distress behaviours have significant adverse effects, including increased mortality. 9 , 10 Calls for increased implementation of nonpharmacological interventions have been made. Our findings suggest that music therapy may be an effective nonpharmacological treatment for BPSD, with a significant reduction of distress behaviours on days of in-person intervention delivery shown, supported in the qualitative data, with lasting changes to patient mood and levels of agitation reported by music therapists and staff members.…”

“…5 The impact on staff is important as research has long shown a close link between staff well-being, including job satisfaction and coping mechanisms, and patient well-being. 10,11 However, very little research has investigated nonpharmacological interventions for this setting, despite calls for more research in this area. 12 During the COVID-19 pandemic, service provision changed drastically.…”

Hospital nurses perceived challenges and opportunities in the care of people with dementia: A mixed‐methods systematic review

“…‘opportunity for staff “to be heard, and to have your ideas put forward” (P2) regarding patients’ care’. Blagg and Petty (2015)…”