At East Grampians Health Service in Western Victoria, a new peer support program is positively impacting aged care staff wellbeing.
Providing residential aged care in a small community is both uniquely rewarding and uniquely challenging. Often, residents and families are known to staff even before they enter care. It is not unheard of to provide care to your old schoolteacher or your neighbour. Colleagues are also well known to each other, in both the workplace and community.
Staff are deeply committed to providing quality services for our older people, but just like in metropolitan facilities, increased resident care needs and challenging behaviours can impact on staff wellbeing negatively.
It can be challenging for rural aged care staff to seek wellbeing support when required. Rural communities often experience shortages of mental health services. Rural aged care staff also worry about possible stigma from seeking help, lack of privacy in a small community, and pressure to appear resilient.
In 2023, the members of the Ararat community, aged care staff, service managers and researchers came together to develop a way to support aged care staff. From this co-design process, a new peer support program for aged care staff was proposed.
Although peer support for health care staff is not new, it is less common for this support type to be offered to rural aged care staff, particularly non-clinical staff.
Staff members intending to be peer supporters from each aged care facility participated in online facilitator training, through the organisation Hand-n-Hand. Peer supporters were a mix of genders and workplace roles – nurses, leisure and lifestyle, and care workers. Despite these differences, they all had one thing in common: a passion for stepping up and helping their colleagues.
Aged care staff can approach a peer supporter whenever they are feeling upset, stressed or want to talk an issue through. Staff can call or email the peer supporter of their choice, but most will just tap them on the shoulder and ask for a chat. If the peer supporter can’t speak to them immediately, they prioritise time later that day.
In the hectic aged care environment, it can be difficult to find a quiet, private space to chat. Peer supporters have found resourceful workarounds– going for a quick cuppa, chatting during breaks, or sitting in the garden.
The best part about this relaxed approach is that aged care staff are at ease, encouraging them to seek wellbeing support without the need for a formal appointment or worrying about their colleagues’ perceptions.
When presented with a particularly complex or upsetting issue, peer supporters confidently refer the staff member to an employee assistance program or more appropriate mental health services.
In interviews conducted as part of an evaluation, peer supporters reported that the program had not impacted their ability to do their day-to-day work, and that being a peer supporter was rewarding and uplifting. The peer supporters described an improvement in staff connection and interactions in the workplace.
This pilot suggests that peer support shows great promise as a sustainable, low impact, and accessible way to boost aged care staff wellbeing in rural areas.
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