A survey of more than 1000 direct care workers and managers has highlighted issues around safety at work for both groups
The Home Care, Community Care and Outreach Staff Safety Survey surveyed staff at 256 organisations Australia-wide about their experience of violence at work during the previous 30 days.
It found that 36 per cent of respondents had experienced one or more incidents involving aggression and/or violence during the last 30 days. Nine per cent of these incidents involved assault.
Industry consultants, Holland Thomas produced the survey and managing director Travis Holland says a key finding was around the psychological harm sustained by direct care workers who find themselves in unsafe situations.
“Experiencing even minor, but regular violence and aggression at work can create severe psychological and mental health consequences over time.”
“The survey found that 30 per cent of incidents involving aggression and/or violence resulted in a psychological injury, although many respondents said they did not report the incident.
“This should be a concern to employers because psychological harm is cumulative, so while an incident might seem inconsequential at the time, experiencing even minor, but regular violence and aggression at work can create severe psychological and mental health consequences over time.”
While family members may be aggressive or violent towards direct care workers, Thomas says most perpetrators are clients (69 per cent).
Holland says the likelihood of clients being violent or aggressive towards care workers tends to increase the longer they live in their own home.
“We’re now seeing older people live in their own homes for two to three years longer than they were a few years back. As particularly their mental health can deteriorate further across these additional years, they may unfortunately be more likely to lash out at the home care worker.”
The majority of the survey’s respondents think that the number and seriousness of incidents involving aggression and/or violence is on the rise.
The survey also showed almost one third of respondents had experienced some form of bullying, harassment or verbal abuse during the last 30 days.
“These latter two findings in particular highlight the significance of the ongoing difficulties many workers endure in their workplace.”
Read the full survey findings here.
The above article was first published on the Health & Ageing Australia’s website