Grant: Summer Program in Aging

Supportive Living (SL) settings, which provide care for individuals who need assistance but not full-time nursing, are known by various names across provinces. This research will focus on publicly funded SL settings. In Alberta, Designated Supportive Living (DSL), now called Continuing Care Home Type B, is part of publicly funded continuing care and also serves assisted living or retirement homes in other provinces. Nurses, mainly LPNs with a few RNs, play a crucial role in this setting but often face heavy workloads and high stress. Due to limited research on this workforce, this study aims to explore nurses' experiences and understand turnover and retention in SL settings. Methods My research will involve a series of interconnected studies. First, I will review existing literature on nurse retention, focusing specifically on SL. Although there is substantial research on retention and turnover in long-term care, few studies focus on SL, and many are outdated-gaps I aim to address. Next, I will analyze provincial workforce data to understand turnover in SL facilities, examining factors such as job satisfaction, stress, and absenteeism to identify retention patterns. Finally, I will interview RNs and LPNs in SL facilities to gain insights into their experiences, challenges, and motivators to stay. Significance Through this research, I hope to contribute to a deeper understanding of the factors that impact nurses' health, job satisfaction, and resilience in SL settings, which may help inform future workforce planning and add valuable knowledge to related scholarship. The motivation for this research extends from my experience in allied health professionals' resilience and my work as a support worker in mental health care homes. I hope this project will provide an opportunity to deepen my understanding and expertise in nursing research and build on my existing skills, with the goal of identifying factors that may improve workforce stability and care quality.