Enhancing Staff Wellbeing and Emotional Readiness in Residential Aged Care Facilities

We read with great interest the article ‘A Mixed-Methods Exploration of Staff Needs for Coping with Grief and Loss in Residential Aged Care’ published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing. We congratulate the authors on addressing such a relevant topic and on the methodological rigour of their work, employing a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design that combined an online cross-sectional survey with semi-structured interviews. The inclusion of different professional groups, such as nurses, formal caregivers, other health professionals, and managers, allowed for the capture of diverse experiences and support needs, thereby enhancing the depth and validity of the conclusions. It is particularly noteworthy that the study focuses on Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs), a context of growing importance given population ageing. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) (WHO 2025), the global population of people aged 60 years and older is projected to reach 1.4 billion by 2030 and 2.1 billion by 2050. This demographic shift reflects an unprecedented pace of population ageing worldwide and highlights the increasing demand for long term and residential care services as people live longer, underlining why research on death, grief and workforce support in settings such as RACFs is imperative. The study by Shimoniaba et al. (forthcoming) included 58 staff members, more than 60% of whom reported experiencing five or more resident deaths in the previous year. Reflecting the emotional impact of frequent resident deaths, 69% of staff members expressed a need for additional education to better cope with grief, figures that underscore the urgency of organisational responses. In response to these findings, Shimoniaba et al. (forthcoming) recommend the implementation of structured education, dedicated communication spaces, and the normalisation of grief, recommendations that strongly resonate with the realities of residential and long-term care. Similar studies further emphasise the importance of communication and emotional management, resilience, organisational grief support, and tailored interventions among different healthcare provider roles in nursing homes (Frances and Wang 2024; Stubbs et al. 2025). Although the study by Shimoniaba et al. (forthcoming) was conducted in Australia, its findings are highly transferable to the Portuguese context. For instance, research has demonstrated that the impact of patient death on nurses generates a sustained emotional burden and reinforces the need for institutional support and targeted training (Silva 2022). Importantly, this issue has gained increased attention in recent policy discussions in Portugal, aligning with the da Saúde (2021), which emphasizes the mental health of healthcare professionals and the promotion of healthy and supportive work environments. Addressing staff grief through structured education and organisational support is therefore not only evidence based but also consistent with current national health policy priorities. The implementation of grief and loss support programs and ongoing education for healthcare professionals in RACFs requires greater attention and inclusion in policy frameworks. Addressing this issue appropriately is essential not only for promoting staff wellbeing and supporting those who care for residents in RACFs but also for ensuring that staff are prepared to manage the emotional demands of their work. Writing the original draft of the paper, conceptualization and review the paper (Rita Alexandra Agripino Marques, Maria Fátima Nalha and Helga Teixeira Martins). The authors have nothing to report. The authors have nothing to report. The authors have nothing to report. The authors have nothing to report. The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The authors confirm that the data supporting the findings of this study are available within the article [and/or] its Supporting Information.