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American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias logoLink to American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
. 2002 Nov-Dec;17(6):357–366. doi: 10.1177/153331750201700604

Professional caregivers for patients with dementia: Predictors of job and career commitment

Charles Drebing 1, Ellen F McCarty 2, Nancy B Emerson Lombardo 3
PMCID: PMC10833696  PMID: 12501483

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to identify what factors predict job and career commitment among professional caregivers working with patients with dementia. A secondary analysis was completed using data collected from 77 professional caregivers working in residential dementia special care programs. The findings suggest that professional caregivers’ commitment to their jobs and careers is most closely related to their level of involvement in the interpersonal aspects of the work, the degree to which they feel personal growth or benefit, and the level of burden that their work generates. Strategies are suggested for improving job and career longevity among professional caregivers by enhancing attachment to patients and families, fostering professional identity and personal growth, and monitoring and managing professional caregiver burden.

Keywords: dementia care programs, dementia patients, maintaining stable and sufficient staffing, caregivers' commitment to their jobs

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Contributor Information

Charles Drebing, Bedford VA Medical Center, Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center, Bedford, Massachusetts.

Ellen F. McCarty, Salve Regina University, Newport, Rhode Island; Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center, Bedford, Massachusetts.

Nancy B. Emerson Lombardo, Wellesley College; Boston University Alzheimer's Disease Center, Bedford, Massachusetts.

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