Navigating Moral Distress in Long-term Care
Publish Date:
Working in long-term care (LTC) can mean making daily decisions that sometimes carry significant emotional and ethical weight. When constraints prevent team members from acting in ways that align with their values, training, or care expectations, they can experience moral distress.
When these feelings are not acknowledged or supported, they may begin to affect well-being, relationships and engagement at work. Recognizing these signs early helps care for ourselves and one another.
The Navigating Moral Distress in Long-Term Care resources, by the Ontario CLRI at Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging, supports LTC team members and leaders with education on mental health support, interventions during times of crisis, challenging interactions, and moral distress for all team members who provide care within an LTC home. Co-designed with LTC team members, this resource includes an eLearning Course, Huddle Guide, and more.
eLearning Course
The Navigating Moral Distress eLearning Course offers strategies to help team members recognize moral distress, build resilience and access support. In this course, team members will explore what moral distress is, how to notice when someone may be struggling, and how to use evidence-informed strategies to create supportive spaces to help navigate challenging experiences in long-term care. This eLearning Course is designed for all LTC team members (clinical and non-clinical) and students. This course will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.
Huddle Guide
The Navigating Moral Distress Huddle Guide reinforces learning from the eLearning Course, helping leaders facilitate huddles, start conversations about moral distress within teams, and build capacity for moral resilience. This guide can be used for facilitating huddles and is divided into 8 sessions of short learning, reflection questions, and discussions. The Huddle Guide also includes email templates and posters that can be distributed to team members. These resources are designed for LTC care team leaders or any LTC team member who oversees a team or facilitates huddles/shift meetings. Please note: these guided huddles supplement the Navigating Moral Distress eLearning Course and should not be used as a substitute or standalone resource.
Additional resources
Part of the Huddle Guide is our Navigating Moral Distress poster series, consisting of ten posters that can be distributed to team members or posted in LTC common areas, highlighting topics such as the different signs of moral distress, team supports, and the meaning of moral distress and resilience.
Acknowledgements
This eLearning course was developed with input from subject matter experts and a co-design advisory group, including long-term care team members, leaders, and other partners from across the sector.
The development of this course was informed by insights shared through the Think Tank on Moral Distress in Long-Term Care held in September 2023, and the following Moral Distress in Long-Term Care Think Tank Report and Navigating Moral Distress Webinar, along with supporting research and literature in this area.
Subject Matter Experts
- Kate Dupuis, Ph.D., C.Psych., Schlegel Innovation Leader in Arts and Aging at the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging, Sheridan Centre for Elder Research
- Jane Kuepfer, R.P., PhD, M.Div, Schlegel Specialist in Spirituality and Aging at the Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging, Conrad Grebel University College
Healthcare Ethics Review
This course was reviewed by Jill Oliver, PhD, Ethicist and lead of the Provincial PoET Program, to help ensure the content reflected a clinical ethics perspective relevant to moral distress in long-term care.
Co-Design Advisory Group
We would like to thank members of the co-design advisory group, including long-term care team members and leaders for their valuable contributions to the development and review of this course. Their feedback and expertise helped shape the scenarios and learning approach used throughout the course.
- Kim Bond, DSW, BSW, MSW, RSW, Social Work Lead, The Manor
- Tessa Kemp, Recreation Team Member, The Village at University Gates, Schlegel Villages
- Bryce McBain, Director of Operations – Central West, Schlegel Villages
- Steve Pawelko, CHRP, CHRL, Director People and Business Development, Fairview, Parkwood Craigwiel Communities
- Lisa Prest, Staff Educator, Extendicare Arbour Heights
- Sara Prest, R/TRO, Director of Resident Programs, Sienna Senior Living
Special Thank You
We extend our sincere thanks to the long-term care team members who shared their experiences through surveys, webinars, and discussions. Their insights helped shape this course and ensure it reflects the realities of working in long-term care.
Related Resources
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