The development of a support program to reduce expensive and disruptive turnover: absenteeism, and stress among nursing home aides is motivated by at least four issues: 1) the growing problem of worker shortage in the long term care industry; 2) the increasing concern with costs of staff turnover in nursing homes; 3) the speculated link between staff turnover and quality of care; and 4) emerging empirical evidence regarding the efficacy of social support in reducing job-related stress and potentially reducing turnover. The primary aims of the project are to develop, implement, and evaluate a support group program for nursing home aides. Phase I activities will focus on the specific design of the program, based on available data both published and unpublished,, supplemented by interviews with nursing home staff (administrators, directors of nursing, nurses aides) and representatives of key trade organizations in Massachusetts. In Phase II a randomized field trial of the program will be conducted in Massachusetts to test its effectiveness in reducing turnover, absenteeism, and stress. The product resulting from this SBIR will be a program model (structure and content) with accompanying instructional manuals for dissemination to, and implementation by, nursing homes nationwide.
