Practice governing moments of professional staff members in nursing homes. Reflections on vocational education and training

Author(s):

Kathrin Trunkenpolz

Conference:

ECER 2009

Network:

2. Vocational Education and Training (VETNET)

Format:

Paper

Session Information

02 SES 09 B, Enabling high quality professional learning in the different sectors (incl. health care)

Paper Session

Time:

2009-09-30

10:30-12:00

Room:

HG, HS 24

Chair:

M'Hamed Dif

Contribution

Professional staff members working with nursing home residents with dementia are continu-ously confronted with frailty, disorientation, oncoming death and corresponding feel-ings.(Menzies-Lyth 1974, Davenhill 2007). Although within the last decades courses were established to train nurses in understanding elderly, their feelings and experiences due to de-mentia (Feil 1992, Böhm 1996), very few curricula were developed to strengthen nurses’ ca-pabilities in reflecting their own experiences and the impact of their feelings on every day work (Holman et al 2006). In the research project “Quality of Life in Nursing Homes” financed by the University of Vi-enna and run by the departments of Sociology, Nursing Science and Educational Science – besides other research activities – 16 nurses working in nursing homes were observed doing their every day work. Subsequent to the observation they were interviewed regarding to the just observed nursing activity. In context of a psychoanalytical background the observation and interview material was analysed focussing the question: ”What kind of ‘practice govern-ing moments’ influence the behaviour of professional staff members?” Especially the nurses’ emotional experience and its influence on the way nurses interact with nursing home residents were investigated. In the paper • I will present first results of the analyses of the observation/interview-material and • I will give an outlook on consequences for vocational training of nurses working in nursing homes.

Method

Tavistock-Method of single case observation: This observation method was developed in a psychoanalytical context and is characterised by the following three criteria: (1)A person is observed regularly within his/her activities and interactions with others. The observer does not actively involve him/herself in interactions. (2) Subsequently to each observation accounts are written. In the accounts the observed situation is described in detail. (3) These accounts are analysed in small groups under experienced guidance. The aim of this observation method is to obtain insights on how the observed person may have felt in the described situation and how his/her behaviour might be understood. Interviews: In the interviews nurses are invited to tell the interviewer about the nursing activ-ity just previously observed. During the interview nurses are stimulated to reflect on the mo-tives that lead to interacting with the nursing home resident during the nursing activity the way they did.

Expected Outcomes

Based on first results of the analyses of observation/interview-material conclusions will be drawn for further education and training of professional staff members in nursing homes.

References

Böhm, E. (1996): Alte verstehen. Grundlagen und Praxis der Pflegediagnose. Psychiatrie-Verlag: Bonn Datler, W. (2004): Die heilpädagogische Beziehung als Gegenstand der Reflexion und Ort der Veränderung: Über das Ringen um Verstehen, die Erarbeitung von Handlungsspielräumen und das Konzept der „work discussion“. In: Kannewischer, S. u.a. (Hrsg.): Verhalten als subjektiv-sinnhafte Ausdrucksform. Klinkhardt: Bad Heilbrunn,116-126 Datler, W., Trunkenpolz, K., Lazar, R. (2009): An Exploration of the Quality of Life in Nurs-ing Homes: The Use of Single Case and Organisational Observation in a Research Pro-ject. In: Infant Observation. The international journal of infant observation and its appli-cations 12 (Heft 1) (in Druck) Davenhill, R. (2007): Psychodynamic Observation and old age. In: Davenhill, R. (Hrsg.): Looking Into Later Life. A psychoanalytic approach to depression and dementia in old age. Karnac Books: London, 129-144 Feil, N. (1992): Validation. Ein neuer Weg zum Verständnis alter Menschen. Alter und Kultur Verlag: Wien Holman, C., Meyer, J., Davenhill, R. (2006): Psychoanalytically informed research in an NHS continuing care unit for older people: exploring and developing staff’s work with complex loss and grief. In: Journal of Social Work Practice 20 (Heft 3), 315-328 Menzies-Lyth, I. (1974): Die Angstabwehr-Funktion sozialer Systeme. Ein Fallbericht. In: Gruppendynamik 5, 183-216 12 Messerer, K. (2004): Work paper discussion (work discussion, work-study seminar). In: Markowitsch, J., Messerer, K., Prokopp, M. (Hrsg.): Handbuch praxisorientierter Hoch-schulbildung. WUV Universitätsverlag: Wien, 141-148 Trunkenpolz, K. (2008): Überlegungen zur Beziehungsgestaltung zwischen alten und pflege-bedürftigen Menschen und deren Betreuungspersonen basierend auf psychodynamischen Einzelbeobachtungen nach dem Tavistock-Konzept. In: heilpädagogik 51 (Heft 5), 8-18

Author Information

Kathrin Trunkenpolz

Universität Wien

Institut für Bildungswissenschaft

Wien

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