The psychological culture of operators in Italian elderly care homes. An emotional and lifespan perspective

Working in retirement homes for elderly people can be challenging due to the difficulty of identifying and promoting developmental goals for people in the ending part of their lifespan. The study explores the semiotic processes underlying the relational processes and the professional practices within the nursing homes for the elderly in Italy, a context in which the care of the elderly has been traditionally managed by religious institutions or within the family. Eighteen (n = 18) operators (M = 45.4, SD = 12.3) of a retirement home were involved. The instrument for data collection was a narrative interview aimed at gathering the emotions of the operators regarding the relational psychodynamics (a) with patients and (b) within the organizational processes that regulate the institution. The interviews were analyzed using the Emotional Textual Analysis (T-LAB software), a mixed method aimed at tracing the emotional dimensions of linguistic productions. Multiple correspondence analysis produced three (3) clusters of words (1. expectations addressed to psychology, 2. relationship with users, 3. relationship with families) positioned on two (2) factors: (a) psychological intervention vs. health intervention and (b) relationship with operators vs. family ties. The results suggest that the culture of psychological work in nursing homes conceives its purpose mainly through an individualistic approach, constantly based on bodily care, whereas in relational terms, the nursing home proposes itself as an emotional substitute for all significant ties before internment, violently breaking the bond between family of origin and patient. Results propose implications for practice and training.