Carers’ Reflections about a Fulfilling Work Environment in a British Residential Home

Abstract

When do people feel happy? One of the answers is that it is then when they feel fulfilled: happy at home, with a good job, and enjoying their everyday activities. When talking about their working day, if a person says that it was good, that colleagues were positive, and the staff working as a team, that answers to all the questions that arose were found and that problems were resolved, this probably means that this person is working in a positive or, in other words, a fulfilling environment. Is such a scenario possible in care settings, specifically, in a British residential home, where the work environment is unpredictable every day? Some answers can be found by analysing the reflections of the staff-carers who spend their long working days trying to make their clients who are diagnosed with dementia happy and fulfilled. So, the aim of this study is to reveal the carers' opinions of what constitutes a fulfilling work environment in a British residential home. For this reason, the answers given by ten carers working in a British residential home provides a better understanding of these carers' opinion of the work environment. The results of the qualitative research are presented, highlighting the research participants' reflections on their choice to work in a residential home, the meaning of a fulfilling work environment in a care context and ways to make the environment more fulfilling in a residential home. The survey reveals that significant motivating factors and the reasons that carers choose to work in a residential home are connected to the people that carers are working with. The process of learning and trying to improve oneself in the work environment and seeking to help clients is important as well. One of the interesting findings in this survey is that the respondents, while explaining their compassion for clients, mention their own family members, who inspire them to care about their clients. It can be said that this fulfilling work environment in some ways reminds them of a safe home environment. For this reason, one of the ways to make the environment more fulfilling in a residential home is to make the residents feel that they live in an environment that is more home-like and less institutional, to create a safe environment for the clients that would remind them of a real home. In this case more staff is required to do a better job. It is also important to mention that carers themselves could create a more positive and fulfilled work environment if they are not too tired and if they receive support and encouragement.