Staff problems with geriatric care in two types of health care organizations

Abstract

This essay examines the content and importance of issue‐similar texts created by nursing home and hospital professionals. The purpose of the analysis is to understand some of the cultural, linguistic, and thematic dimensions of nursing home organizations in relation to care for older adults. The number, types, imagery, and intensity of metaphors; the degree of certainty‐ambivalence of language; the primary themes of the stories; the complexity of the communication; and the degree of attraction toward the older patient group are considered. These groups of caregivers appear to be similar in text construction, sympathy toward clients, and the issue of control in relationships. They seem to differ in terms of organizational insensitivity, story content, work context, and complexity of awareness relating to aging issues.