Caring for Institutionalized Elders: Stress Among Nursing Assistants

The relationship between patient characteristics (dementia, other mental impairment, and a variety of difficult behaviors) and physical health among nursing assistants working in long-term care facilities is examined. Several sociodemographic characteristics of the worker, characteristics of the work environment, and social support were included as control variables. The number of residents cared for with Alzheimer's disease and with other mental impairment is empirically unrelated to any type of problem behavior. Both having more residents with gross mental impairment and having more residents exhibiting uncooperative behavior are related to several measures of physical health stress. Other problem behaviors related to specific indicators of physical health are identified. Few other factors emerge as significant predictors.