Forms of empathy of care home staff working with older people
Forms of empathy of care home staff working with older people
This qualitative paper examines the use of empathy by care staff working in care homes, and how this empathic engagement relates to the care they provide. Taking an interpretative analytical approach of 36 interviews with care assistants working in 5 UK care homes, it is argued that several different types of empathy are undertaken by care staff in their daily work. These different forms of empathy include direct empathy, placing themselves in the position of the resident, indirect empathy, thinking how they would feel if the resident were a loved one, as well as empathy relating to individuals, groups, specific and general situations. It is argued that these different forms of empathy influence direct care, are used to form caring rules and also relate to care staff's own 'philosophy of care'.
care assistants, emotion work, interpretative methodology, old people, empathic engagement, united kingdom, direct empathy, residents, indirect empathy, individuals, groups, direct care, caring rules, philosophy of care, residential care homes, elderly mentally infirm, work organisation, emotion, virtual feelings, visceral feelings
302-316
Luff, Rebekah
b12da7ec-5b6b-4928-9993-c0228cf140b5
2010
Luff, Rebekah
b12da7ec-5b6b-4928-9993-c0228cf140b5
Luff, Rebekah
(2010)
Forms of empathy of care home staff working with older people.
International Journal of Work Organisation and Emotion, 3 (3), .
(doi:10.1504/IJWOE.2010.032928).
Abstract
This qualitative paper examines the use of empathy by care staff working in care homes, and how this empathic engagement relates to the care they provide. Taking an interpretative analytical approach of 36 interviews with care assistants working in 5 UK care homes, it is argued that several different types of empathy are undertaken by care staff in their daily work. These different forms of empathy include direct empathy, placing themselves in the position of the resident, indirect empathy, thinking how they would feel if the resident were a loved one, as well as empathy relating to individuals, groups, specific and general situations. It is argued that these different forms of empathy influence direct care, are used to form caring rules and also relate to care staff's own 'philosophy of care'.
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Published date: 2010
Keywords:
care assistants, emotion work, interpretative methodology, old people, empathic engagement, united kingdom, direct empathy, residents, indirect empathy, individuals, groups, direct care, caring rules, philosophy of care, residential care homes, elderly mentally infirm, work organisation, emotion, virtual feelings, visceral feelings
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 181753
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/181753
ISSN: 1740-8938
PURE UUID: c657e489-5d77-4996-8e28-e95c22195954
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Date deposited: 19 Apr 2011 14:16
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:57
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Author:
Rebekah Luff
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