Staff satisfaction and its components in residential aged care

Objectives.The purpose of this study was to assess the direction and magnitude of the effects among the components of staff satisfaction in residential aged care and to examine whether the relationships among satisfaction components vary according to facility type (i.e. nursing homes and hostels). A hostel is a low care facility in which residents are more independent, have a lower level of care needs, and receive personal but not nursing care. Design.A cross-sectional survey design was adopted to collect the required information, and a stratified random sampling approach was utilized to select facilities. Structural equation modeling was used to examine relationships among satisfaction components. Setting.Seventy residential aged care facilities in Western Australia. Study participants.The sample includes 610 nursing home and 373 hostel care staff. Results.The relationships among satisfaction components are different for nursing home and hostel staff. Professional support is found to have a strong and positive effect on all other aspects of staff satisfaction. Conclusion.The findings lead to an improved understanding of the interrelationship among staff satisfaction components, which has important implications through enhancing professional support. This needs to be recognized and emphasized by managers, care providers, and policy makers so as to maintain stable personnel and continuity of care.