Sources of Stress and Conflicts Between Elderly Patients, Their Family Members and Personnel in Care Settings

This article identifies and presents some main reasons and circumstances which might invoke conflicts and tension between elderly people, their families and the staff in various institutional settings where an elderly person is hospitalized or admitted. The causes are classified into personal characteristics and cultural background, psychological reactions, division of tasks, dissatisfaction with care provided to the elderly person, type of setting, facility's regime and policies and unresolved familial conflicts and personal pressures. Strategies of intervention on a macro level are proposed and the roles of social workers in the context of these situations are discussed.