Abstract

Patient attendants are on the frontline of care in geriatric environments. These workers are responsible for providing all assistance activities to residents, with the exception of medical care. They perform the tasks related to residents’ daily lives, such helping with hygiene (toilet, baths, etc.), dressing, eating and mobility.

Over the past 20 years, patient attendants have witnessed major transformations to their work environment that have contributed to increasing their exposure to significant physical and psychological stress. On the one hand, the needs of clientele served by nursing homes has become much more onerous (increased loss of autonomy, rise in mental health problems and cognitive disorders); on the other hand, the organizational context marked by successive budget cuts has resulted in a substantial intensification of their work.

This project targets attendants, who represent the largest group working in geriatric environments. CNESST data show that this group of workers has the highest number of compensated workplace accidents.

The objective of this project is to develop innovative preventive actions in OHS for CHSLD patient attendants in order to derive knowledge that can be transferred to other environments.