Staff outcomes and the work environment in Green Care Farms and traditional nursing homes: A comparative study

Green Care Farms are an alternative long-term care setting for people with dementia. Organizing daily life around a shared household and integrating nature and animals, they emphasize resident participation and activation. Such a radically different care environment not only affects residents, but also nursing staff who provide the care.

To explore nursing staff outcomes and work environment characteristics of Green Care Farms and compare them with traditional nursing homes for people with dementia.

A comparative study based on a cross-sectional survey design¹.

Green Care Farms for people with dementia, which provide care in an archetypical household, where nature and animals are an integrated part of daily life and where staff has integrated tasks (experimental group). Traditional psychogeriatric nursing homes for residents with dementia, where residents live in large wards, organizational routines determine daily life, and staff has differentiated tasks (comparison group).

All staff working direct resident care. The total sample included 262 staff members from 10 Green Care Farms and 380 staff members from 21 traditional nursing homes in the Netherlands.

A questionnaire with eight measures was distributed online. Data were analyzed using regression analysis.

Both groups reported similar work demands and expected a similar sustainable work performance in the future. However, staff in Green Care Farms experienced better work satisfaction (mean = 4.28; 95 % CI = 4.14-4.43) than those working in traditional nursing homes (mean = 3.67; 95 % CI = 3.54-3.8). Furthermore, they reported more work resources, more vitality, better recovery after work, and a better team climate than staff in traditional nursing homes.

Knowing that work dissatisfaction, stress and burnout are predictors for staff turnover, the findings suggest that elements from the Green Care environment might provide a healthier work environment for staff compared to traditional nursing homes. More research is needed on these elements, to guide other nursing homes to improve their work environment.