"He Wanted to Talk and I Gave Him a Shower”: A Qualitative Interview Study in Three Nursing Homes in Carinthia (Austria) about Violent Behaviour in Elderly Care and Its Causes

Abstract

Abuse and neglect in elderly care remain serious topics, but nursing home residents are considered highly vulnerable because many of them are affected by dementing illnesses and are care-dependent. We performed qualitative content analysis to evaluate interview data obtained from the nursing staff (8 nurses and 30 care assistants) of three nursing homes in Carinthia (Austria) to identify key aspects of work-related stress and violent behaviours in the daily nursing home routine. The findings revealed that their work experiences were highly burdensome. The nursing staff perceived themselves to be exposed to excessive demands, conflicts with colleagues, under-staffing, and a lack of support. Our participants openly discussed their violent behaviours against the elderly, and nearly all types of abuse and neglect were reported. Our results provide information about violent behaviours in the daily nursing home routine. A broad social and political discussion is required to develop prevention strategies within the setting of nursing care.