title: Professional caregivers for patients with dementia: predictors of job and career commitment.
abstract: The purpose of this study is to identify what factors predict job and career commitment among professional caregivers working with patients with dementia. A secondary analysis was completed using data collected from 77 professional caregivers working in residential dementia special care programs. The findings suggest that professional caregivers' commitment to their jobs and careers is most closely related to their level of involvement in the interpersonal aspects of the work, the degree to which they feel personal growth or benefit, and the level of burden that their work generates. Strategies are suggested for improving job and career longevity among professional caregivers by enhancing attachment to patients and families, fostering professional identity and personal growth, and monitoring and managing professional caregiver burden.
authors.affiliation: Bedford VA Medical Center, Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center, Bedford, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Drebing
authors.forename: Ellen F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: McCarty
authors.forename: Nancy B Emerson
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Lombardo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002055:Burnout, Professional; D017028:Caregivers; D003704:Dementia / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D010563:Personnel Turnover / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies