Abstract
Lack of recognition of care work, poor wages and difficult working conditions of care workers have a direct impact on quality of care, which may be a reflection of low public investment in the long-term care system. Qualitative research is needed to understand the meaning and interpretation of how working conditions interfere in care quality practices in institutional settings, along with those who are responsible for care work. The chapter is based on 40 semi-structured interviews with care workers, in 16 Portuguese care homes, in one council in the metropolitan area of Lisbon. Findings revealed that excessive workloads and hard-working conditions, low qualifications and poor pay, organisational conflict, lead to high staff turnover and staff shortages, which are the main factors for elder mistreatment, in care practices.
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Gil, A.P. (2021). (In)visibility of Good and Bad Care Practices in Nursing Homes: A Vicious Circle. In: Husso, M., Karkulehto, S., Saresma, T., Laitila, A., Eilola, J., Siltala, H. (eds) Violence, Gender and Affect . Palgrave Studies in Victims and Victimology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56930-3_8
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