• Korean Journal of Social Welfare
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• v.59 no.3
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• pp.175-199
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• 2007

The study analyzes the characteristics, work stress, satisfaction and attitudes toward dementia of social care work force for dependent elders in Korea. Data were from 502 staffs including social workers, nurses, and direct care workers from 45 diverse type of nursing facilities in Busan and Daegu area. The results of the analysis indicate that they are low paid and overloaded in general. The respondents espoused highly hopeful and person-centered attitudes toward dementia and the elderly, while they showed low level of satisfaction related to work. The stress levels were higher in sub scales concerning care tasks and physical environments in work places. In addition, the results of multiple regression denote that those have higher level of satisfaction who are nurses, have no intension to quit, have more experiences of work education, and working in facilities with more frail elders. Stresses were closely related to higher level of education and the intension to quit. Person centered attitude was more often reported by those who have more elderly clients to take care of and are working in facilities with more elders who are demented and over 80. In particular, the association was consistent between higher level of job satisfaction and the person centered attitude. Several practical suggestions linked to the analysis were made including improving the welfare for staffs working in nursing facilities and providing continuous professional training and education for them particularly on person-centered care. In addition, it was emphasized to raise the morale of social care work force considering the rapidly increasing need of long term care and the important influence that care work force has on older persons' quality of life from now on.