Our research shows that aged care work is burdened by three types of stigma – physical, social and moral.
Physical stigma refers to work performed under particularly dangerous conditions, or being exposed to dirt, bodily fluids and death. Examples of jobs with high physical stigma include firefighting, working with sewage and being an undertaker.
Social stigma is associated with work seen as low-status, because it involves being in a servile relationship and working with people belonging to marginalised group – in this case, older people.
Moral stigma involves work that is viewed as deceptive or unethical. Examples include used car salespeople and loan sharks. Our findings point to a moral stigma around aged care work, which is reinforced by media coverage of elder abuse and neglect.
Its hard work, I admire the people who do it. Its a very necessary job. But I’ve seen the toll the job takes on people. Long hours, working nights and holidays, usually understaffed and under a lot of pressure to provide great care with limited resources. Theres also a high emotional toll if you care, and some of the higher care residents will take a swing at you. Higher pay wont fix all the problems, more needs to be done, but its a good first step.