Anyone have research or articles on how staff dress impacts a care setting. We are challenging for people to seriously consider what staff wear in the homes. Many have chosen to wear scrubs. Others are wearing modified uniforms (polo shirts and khakis) and others wear what they want (with dress code standards). Any resources you can share would be appreciated.
Anna
AOrtigara@ncb.coop

Hi Anna!

Our home is part of Great River Medical Center which is a hospital. When I first started working here, CNAs wore tan scrubs. (Boring!) Every department wore different colors. It makes sense at a hospital, but not in a home.

Now our nursing staff wear colorful srubs. The new styles of uniforms look alot like street clothes. One of the earlier objections to wearing different scrubs was that elders/family would not know who to look for when they needed assistance. With ocnsistant staffing, there were no such worries.

Our elders love what our staff wear now. We went from Dreary to Cheery! Staff can show off their tastes/ personalities. Our housekeepers are also wearing scrubs of their choice instead of burgandy.

The only ones that I advise you not to let others wear are the Cardinal Baseball Team ones!

We also have Klein T-shirts with our motto on them. Casual days are on Friday and raise money for various causes.

I don't know of any written resources for you, but I know what a huge difference it has made for us.

Amy Vandiver
GRMC Klein Center
avandiver@grhs.net

Anna - I do not know of any formal research on this topic. I only know what I see and how the clothing people wear in nursing homes tend to create lines of division. In other words, people know who works at the home because they wear scrubs, and not only that, the scrubs are color-coded to indicate where you work. People have told me that it helps the elders recognize who works at the home, but it makes me wonder if the home really wants to create an environment where we build relationships with one another built on our clothing rather than who we really are. My guess is that the elders would know who you are and what you do at the home regardless of what clothing you wear. Clothing not only can create hierarachical structures, but with scrubs, it reinforces the medical model. People live in the home because they are sick and the caregiver's clothes are a reminder of that.

If I come across any articles, I'll certainly post them.

Denise Hyde

hi anna good ?? trying to see what works best myself . if you find a solution can you let me know !!!!

[img] [img] [img] I am a nurse manager in a rest home in New Zealand and have worked in our aged care sector for 20 years. Initially in 80's, the first homes that I worked in, had the nurses in white uniforms, while care staff had another colour usually pale blue and were very hospital like nurses uniform dresses. In the rest homes where I have been working for 7 years, the care staff (including Nurses) wear navy blouses that have lovely large flowers over them with navy trousers or skirts. It makes it feel more like a home rather than as a clinical hospital setting. Our organisation is currently updating their uniforms for staff and are having their own print and design made, which will be a blouse (shirt) that will have hidden pockets,and 3 different shapes and colours to suit staff of different sizes. We have selected a design that incorporates a leaf design to identify with the Eden principles. We have also learnt that residents (elders) respond positively to bright colours. Most of our rest homes (nursing homes) in NZ in the last 5 years have set uniforms but most have gone away from clinical looking uniforms similiar to scrubs and most have navy trousers/skirts with blouse type tops. For the men they tend to use polo shirts.
Olwyn Cunningham, New Zealand

We recently had this discussion in our home as well. We took the information to Elder Council, who voted unanimously that we keep allowing staff to wear whatever print/color scrubs they have. The rationale the Council utilized was that CENAs do not have the funds available to purchase new clothes, additionally, the elders enjoy the patterns and colors of those that care for them.