COVID-19 is a unique and ongoing trauma, particularly for long-term care professionals dealing directly with the pandemic day after day. Grief and trauma are often talked about in stages with a beginning and an end. First you experience denial, then anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance—and magically your grief is done! The reality is that a person’s trauma response is not a linear experience, and it doesn’t necessarily have a clear end. A person may bounce from one stage to another; they may make strides forward and then experience a set-back. When the trauma feels never-ending, how can a person begin to cope?

What is burnout?

Burnout is a concern for staff at all levels, and in all departments. At a time when our workforce is teetering on the brink of collapse, leaders must do everything they can to retain quality team members by keeping them healthy and providing needed support. The International Classification of Diseases 11th Revision (ICD-11) defines burnout as “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed,” and often manifests in exhaustion, mental distance from one’s job, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy.

How can leaders help staff manage that stress?

At this stage of the pandemic, chronic workplace stress is still rampant. Check out the following resources to help as you continue strengthening your toolkit of support for your team:

• Workforce Well-Being: It’s About Burnout: Visit LeadingAge’s Learning Hub to watch a 35-minute spotlight exploring common distress symptoms and proven strategies to manage compassion fatigue and secondary traumatic stress related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Stress Challenges and Job Resignation in Aging Services: Read the LeadingAge LTSS Center @ UMass Boston’s research brief on the impact of COVID-19 on staff working for LeadingAge provider members, including recommendations for supporting staff.
• Mental Health First Aid: Consider investing in Mental Health First Aid training for your staff teams to ensure that team members struggling with their mental health have a safe person to turn to, and resources to find help.