title: Staff perspectives of relationships in aged care: A qualitative approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore aged care staff perceptions and experience of their relationships with co-workers, older people and families via pragmatic exploratory interviews.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-nine direct care staff from seven residential age care facilities and 12 community organisations were interviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Staff felt that their capacity to develop therapeutic relationships with older people and families was impeded by care tasks and concerns regarding professional boundaries. Positive relationships between staff-family and staff-staff are hindered by staff perceptions of undue care demands, high family expectations, and staff-staff conflict within a hierarchical context and between work shifts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A relationship-centred approach to care as well as staff training and education should be encouraged to assist the development of therapeutic relationships and the management of professional boundaries.
authors.affiliation: Menzies Health Institute, Queensland - Centre for Health Practice Innovation, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia. c.jones@griffith.edu.au.
authors.forename: Cindy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Nathan Campus, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Moyle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001315:Australia; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010465:Perception; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D024382:Professional Role; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D016526:Workload; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology
keywords: community health care; qualitative research; relationship; residential aged care