Nursing home workforce: perspectives on maintaining and improving staff morale

To explore nursing home staff perspectives on maintaining and improving staff morale for those who provide direct and indirect care, to residents living with dementia.

This qualitative analysis was embedded within a multisite pragmatic randomized trial that compared two nonpharmacological approaches to providing dementia care. Semistructured interviews with a purposive sample of nursing home staff (n = 327) were conducted. Staff morale emerged from the interview data. A thematic analysis approach was utilized to identify patterns and relationships related to staff morale.

Three themes emerged (1) self-care strategies, (2) peer-to-peer support, and (3) leadership approaches and practices. Staff described the use of self-care strategies to support their own mental or physical well-being. Descriptions of peer-to-peer support reflected instances where staff supported one another through teamwork and mentorship. Staff also highlighted how organizational leadership contributed to morale by ensuring staff felt appreciated and supported.

Results of this study support a multidimensional approach to maintaining and improving nursing home staff morale in order to retain the workforce. Prioritizing staff morale can be manageable even in this challenging health care landscape. Therefore, policies and practices should be put into place to support staff morale.