Analyzing and Enhancing Caring Culture in Aged Care Facilities

In my previous assignment, I explored the aged care facility as a caring environment and evaluated its work culture from a compassionate care perspective. In this article, I will delve deeper into the current caring culture in an aged care facility, focusing on person-centred care and interpersonal relationships or communication as the main themes. I will use the effective workplace culture framework to analyze this culture, considering its attributes, enabling factors, and consequences. Additionally, I will provide recommendations to improve the caring culture within such facilities.

Understanding the Effective Workplace Culture Framework

The Manley, Sanders, Cardiff & Webster framework emphasizes the exploration and analysis of workplace culture to deliver safe and high-quality patient care. This framework comprises three components: enabling factors, essential attributes, and consequences. By using this framework, health team members can evaluate their work culture and identify areas that require change. For this analysis, I will relate person-centred care and interpersonal relationships (selected themes) to the essential attributes and consequences of effective workplace culture.

The Interrelation of Caring Culture and Workplace Culture in Aged Care Facilities

Aged care facilities are specialized facilities that provide care, support, and accommodation to elderly residents, including assistance with daily living and intensive care. The caring culture in such facilities is closely connected to the workplace culture and significantly affects the residents' experience, patient outcomes, evidence-based practice, staff involvement, job satisfaction, and retention. Person-centred care and open communication between caregivers and care consumers play a crucial role in shaping the caring culture. Workplace culture, on the other hand, encompasses the values, norms, rules, and characteristics of the organization, influencing not only the services delivered to users but also the behavior and performance of the service providers.

Emphasizing Person-Centredness in the Workplace Culture Framework

Person-centredness is a core value in the effective workplace culture framework, promoting the meeting of patients' needs in a person-centred manner, with mutual trust, respect, and understanding for their individual rights to self-determination. This approach treats each person as an individual human being rather than a condition to be treated, involving not just the patient but also their caregivers, families, and other supporters. In the context of a caring culture, person-centred care considers the resident's preferences, cultural and religious needs, living style, financial condition, and more. This approach fosters empathy, nurtured healing, and positive changes in health, behavior, and wellbeing.

Importance of Person-Centred Care in Aged Care Facilities

In an aged care facility, person-centred care is crucial in providing a caring environment that focuses on the residents' control and support over their daily living. When the caring culture embraces person-centredness, caregivers can better understand the residents and their individual needs, which enhances the planning, coordination, and delivery of care. This approach creates a sense of being cared for, valued, supported, safe, and involved in the residents, fostering empathy and positive patient outcomes. Residents who feel listened to and valued experience greater comfort and satisfaction, leading to improvements in their overall health and wellbeing.

Person-centred care also transforms the workplace culture, making it feel more like a home rather than an institution. This shift in culture leads to deeper, trustful relationships and smoother interpersonal interactions between patients and caregivers, ultimately increasing patient and nurse satisfaction. When residents are at the center of decisions made about their care, they feel empowered and supported, leading to better self-management and decision-making. This person-centred approach enables nurses to provide more holistic care, reduces anxiety among nurses in the long term, and promotes teamwork among staff. It also enhances patient safety, as staff members are motivated to deliver safe care to individual patients.

To enhance the caring culture in aged care facilities, health team leaders should communicate and model the importance of person-centred care, along with their responsibilities in implementing it. Workshops, practice development sessions, and education should be provided to empower healthcare practitioners and deepen their understanding of their roles. Regular monitoring of staff satisfaction and well-being will help identify areas of improvement.

Transformational leadership should be fostered, inspiring and motivating care providers to achieve a shared vision of person-centred care. Patient satisfaction surveys can be utilized to gather timely feedback and identify opportunities for improvement. The progress of teamwork, workload management, time management, and staff relationships should be highlighted to promote a democratic and comprehensive approach to practice.

Emancipatory practice development, focused on getting evidence into practice, should be facilitated to encourage innovative and effective caring approaches. Providing appreciation and rewards for caregivers who model positive communication behavior is vital. Commitment to staff retention, satisfaction, and stress reduction through improvement should also be adopted to maintain the caring culture.

The Role of Open Communication in Creating a Caring Culture

A caring culture for patients starts with respectful and meaningful communication. Open and effective communication is key to influencing a positive workplace and caring culture in any organization, encouraging team members to share their ideas and opinions freely.

In aged care, good communication skills are essential for nurses to connect with residents effectively. Being able to sit and talk with residents, knowing them and their feelings, makes them feel valued and satisfied. Openness and transparency in communication create an atmosphere of respect and value for residents, fostering a positive attitude towards caregivers and the healthcare service. This encourages residents to actively participate in their care, leading to positive patient outcomes and a better workplace culture.

Effective communication is also critical in nursing practice, as it influences the quality of working relationships, job satisfaction, and patient safety. Good communication skills help caregivers understand an elderly patient's concerns, show empathy and support, and reduce physical and emotional distress. Patients and family members are more engaged in the care process when interpersonal relationships are smooth and clear.

To improve the caring culture through communication, nurses should develop strong observation and listening skills to understand patients' expressions and needs, especially for those living with dementia. Regular workplace training and in-service education should prioritize communication and problem-solving skills. Encouraging a friendly relationship between caregivers and elderly patients is essential, ensuring that patients have enough time to express their concerns.

Recognition and appreciation of positive communication behavior should be part of the organizational culture, and feedback from patients and staff should be actively encouraged. Encouraging family members to share their thoughts and experiences can also lead to necessary improvements in communication.

Conclusion

Caring culture in aged care facilities is a critical factor in delivering high-quality and compassionate care to elderly residents. By implementing person-centred care and fostering open communication, these facilities can create an environment that values individuals' needs and experiences. Embracing the effective workplace culture framework and adopting the recommended practices will lead to positive patient outcomes, staff satisfaction, and a caring culture that distinguishes these facilities as beacons of exceptional care for the elderly.

References

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