Even though end of life is core business for aged care, providing care to a person at the end of life can be challenging and distressing for staff. Feelings of grief and loss are common for those working in end of life with effects being moderated by strategies including debriefing and clinical supervision.
Evidence about self-care and the aged-care workforce is limited with less research on associations between self-care, wellbeing, and burnout in aged care than other populations. Organisational issues can also exacerbate feelings of burnout and dissatisfaction. Staff working in aged care face specific challenges which may increase the risk of burnout. Staffing pressures, increasing care demand and care complexity, expectations of family and the public, and negative media around aged care have all added stressors in aged care.
Given these organisational pressures and the reality of distress which can arise from providing end of life care, supporting staff is important for culture and wellbeing, workforce retention, and ultimately quality of care.
There are self-care resources that are already available which can be promoted to staff. Self-care can mean many things and is understood and experienced differently. We have also developed evidence and information on organisational supports that recognise the impacts of end of life You can also make use of the workforce wellbeing evidence summary to guide organisational responses.
Self-care resources for staff
- palliAGED has a self-care plan (173kb pdf) that can be downloaded for use by aged care staff. It helps you to identify activities and practices to support and sustain your wellbeing as a professional.
- Visit the ELDAC Self-care room to explore a range of ideas and resources.
- Nurse & Midwife Support is 24/7 national support service for nurses & midwives providing access to confidential advice and referral.
Organisational resources
- Make use of palliAGED’s workforce wellbeing evidence summary to guide organisational responses
- Read the Staff burnout section in ARIIA. This also includes some information on burnout tools.
- You can also download our Organisational Tips: Supporting Staff Well Being for practical ideas on creating a supportive culture and preventing burnout.