Exploring staff coping with grief and loss in residential aged care
An article written by Dr Kaori Shimoinaba, Dr Kimberley Crawford, Dr Den-Ching A Lee, Dr Yunjing Qiu, Dr Aislinn F Lalor, Kim-Maree Jackson and Prof. Helen Rawson
Do aged care workers grieve after a resident dies in a residential aged care home?
If you work in a residential aged care home, this question may feel deeply personal. While grief is natural response to loss, the grief experienced by healthcare professionals and carers is often overlooked, unspoken, and undervalued in aged care setting. Recently, we examined aged care workers’ experience of death and grief, and their support needs. We invited people who work in a residential aged care home to participate in a survey and interviews (this included nurses, personal care workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, and staff in support roles such as catering, cleaning and administration). [1]
Relationships with residents and families
The staff discussed how they develop a close bond with residents and their family over time, similar to a family relationship. They develop this bond through supporting residents with everyday tasks, supporting them with their health conditions, and doing what they can to improve residents’ overall quality of life. Because staff work very closely with residents and develop a close caring relationship, a resident’s death can greatly affect staff’s emotional wellbeing.
Cumulated grief and its consequences
More than half of the aged care staff surveyed told us they had experienced five or more resident deaths in the past year. This is a huge emotional burden, which impacted health professionals differently. Nurses tended to feel less grief than allied health professionals (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and social workers).
When it came to support after a resident’s death, the result was not very reassuring. Only about half of staff said their organisation offered them support. Almost one in five did not receive any support at all.
Being repeatedly exposed to resident deaths, without proper support is not just emotionally difficult for aged care staff, it is linked to higher risk of emotional distress and occupational burnout. This type of emotional strain is considered a psychological hazard, and burnout remains a serious workplace issue.
Needs for staff grief
Some staff told us they often felt very alone in their grief. One person shared “No one would understand why I was so sad…”. Comments like this highlight just how important open communication is especially as a resident’s health declines or after they die. Many staff said that having honest conversations, being kept informed, and having the chance to say goodbye when a resident dies, made a meaningful difference.
We also heard that staff’s experiences of grief were shaped by many factors, including how long they had been working in aged care and their own cultural or religious background. There is no single right way to grieve, and acknowledging this diversity is important.
Staff were clear about what would help them with their grief when a resident dies: more support for their grief, more education about death, dying and grief, and more opportunities to normalise grief and encourage self‑care.
One insight that really stood out was the impact on managers. They are often the ones supporting other staff through loss, yet many told us they had little time or space to process their own grief. Supporting managers is also important for creating a safe and resilient workplace.
Importance
Grief that staff experience after a resident dies in residential aged care home needs to be recognised as a real and significant emotional response. Offering tailored support and ongoing education can also help staff feel more equipped and ultimately contributes to high-quality care for both residents and their families.
The next step
After completing this research, we worked with staff from several residential aged care homes to co-design a grief support and education program specifically for aged care staff. The program has now been tested and we will be sharing the findings in 2026.
Reference
- Shimoniaba K, Crawford K, Lee DA, Qiu Y, Lalor AF, Jackson KM, et al. A mixed-methods exploration of staff needs for coping with grief and loss in residential aged care. J Clin Nurs. 2025.
Authors
Dr Kaori Shimoinaba
Senior Lecturer, Nursing and Midwifery
Monash University
Dr Kimberley Crawford
Senior Lecturer, Nursing and Midwifery
Monash University
Dr Den-Ching A Lee
Senior Research Fellow, Rehabilitation Ageing and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre
Monash University
Dr Yunjing Qiu
Lecturer, School of Nursing and Midwifery
Monash University
Dr Aislinn F Lalor
Senior Lecturer, Department of Occupational Therapy
Senior Research Fellow, Rehabilitation Ageing and Independent Living (RAIL) Research Centre, Monash University
Kim-Maree Jackson
Chief Executive Officer
Village Baxter
Professor Helen Rawson
Professor, Nursing and Midwifery
Monash University