Intervening in Family-Staff Conflicts in Nursing Homes

ABSTRACT

The authors conducted a random survey of 304 nursing home social work directors in order to examine the situational factors associated with conflicts between residents' family members and staff. For a two week period, one-third of the respondents reported a total of 157 verbally aggressive and 38 acts of physical aggressive behaviors perpetrated primarily by residents' children and spouses against nurses, social workers, and nurse's aides. The situational factors most frequently cited were family members were difficult to please, took issue with patient care practices, and were unrealistic in terms of their expectations about what staff should do for residents. Social workers most often had primary responsibility for resolving conflicts and used family-focused interventions. The authors conclude with implications for clinical practice in long-term care settings.