Over the last decade, long-term care facilities have transitioned from institutional care models that focus on person-centered care, in which the resident is the center of the care. The purpose of this study is to explore the nurse and certified nursing assistant perception of the person-centered care services they deliver. Jean Watson's theory of human caring is the theoretical framework that guided this study. The theory focusing on the human caring experiences and person-centered care is being characterized as a caring feeling. The carative factors of Watson's theory, the fundamental concept of caring, has been associated with improved outcomes for the resident and the caregiver. Using a phenomenology research design, 3 focus groups of 15 nurses and 10 certified nursing assistants (CNA), working in a long-term care facility, were asked questions to describe their perception of person-centered care. The responses from the 25 participants were stored and organized using Nvivo. The thematic analysis revealed that the nurses and CNAs perceived person-centered care to include the caring and compassionate approach taken when care is being delivered. The participants also shared that person-centered care included involving the resident in decision making through communicating openly and developing relationships. The discussions revealed that 8 carative factors influenced their understanding, with the main factor being the creative problem-solving method for decision making. The �ndings from this study have the potential to impact positive social change at the organizational level, influencing the delivery of care within long-term care settings.

Resident-centered care has been the standard philosophy in accredited personal care homes (PCHs) across Canada since 1990. Health care aides (HCAs) are the primary health care providers in PCHs and key to residents' quality of care and quality of life. However, studies have not examined HCA work satisfaction in relation to the four elements of resident-centered care: providing flexible scheduling, following residents' preferences, promoting a home-like environment and offering permanent assignment to promote consistency of care. This cross-sectional, ethnographic study was conducted using face-to-face interviews with nine HCAs working in four PCHs in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The results indicate that HCAs' work satisfaction was highly related to their caring relationships with residents and their working relationships with other HCAs and staff. The implementation of resident-centered care depended on institutional and managerial support. Lack of this support created stressful situations for HCAs and caused them concern about the quality of care and quality of life of residents. / May 2009

Resident-centered care has been the standard philosophy in accredited personal care homes (PCHs) across Canada since 1990. Health care aides (HCAs) are the primary health care providers in PCHs and key to residents' quality of care and quality of life. However, studies have not examined HCA work satisfaction in relation to the four elements of resident-centered care: providing flexible scheduling, following residents' preferences, promoting a home-like environment and offering permanent assignment to promote consistency of care. This cross-sectional, ethnographic study was conducted using face-to-face interviews with nine HCAs working in four PCHs in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The results indicate that HCAs' work satisfaction was highly related to their caring relationships with residents and their working relationships with other HCAs and staff. The implementation of resident-centered care depended on institutional and managerial support. Lack of this support created stressful situations for HCAs and caused them concern about the quality of care and quality of life of residents.

Resident-centered care has been the standard philosophy in accredited personal care homes (PCHs) across Canada since 1990. Health care aides (HCAs) are the primary health care providers in PCHs and key to residents' quality of care and quality of life. However, studies have not examined HCA work satisfaction in relation to the four elements of resident-centered care: providing flexible scheduling, following residents' preferences, promoting a home-like environment and offering permanent assignment to promote consistency of care. This cross-sectional, ethnographic study was conducted using face-to-face interviews with nine HCAs working in four PCHs in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The results indicate that HCAs' work satisfaction was highly related to their caring relationships with residents and their working relationships with other HCAs and staff. The implementation of resident-centered care depended on institutional and managerial support. Lack of this support created stressful situations for HCAs and caused them concern about the quality of care and quality of life of residents.