Geriatric Social Workers in Adult Day Care Facilities: Meditation, Worker Resilience, and Job Satisfaction

Abstract

Abstract This article reports a wait list control design study on the influence of an online meditation training program for geriatric social workers (GSWs) in a range of adult day care facilities across eight Asian and African cities. Results indicated that the online program was effective in building resilience and promoting job satisfaction among the intervention group. The program was more effective for participants from Asian cities, women, Hindus, and Buddhists working in transitional day care facilities and regularly logging into the self-practice sessions. Self-practice was an important mediator determining the relationship between demographic predictors and outcomes. This synchronous and asynchronous online program can be used by GSWs with some modifications for participants from African cities; men; Muslims and Christians; and those working in active adult, palliative, and memory care facilities. Refinements may entail adding familiar spiritual ideologies, some activities for men involving greater verbalization of feelings and emotions linked to the work, and intensive exercises addressing specific challenges of workers in palliative and memory care facilities.