The loyalty trap in long-term care

While the staffing crisis in long-term care has stimulated research into rising turnover rates, it is far from certain that the resulting proposals can address the causes of the crisis. Through group discussions with nursing home workers in Switzerland, this article focuses on workers who remain in the profession, arguing that their loyalty acts as a trap. Drawing on Hirschman’s concept of loyalty and Nies’ insights into the tension between the production of use and exchange values, we identify a conflict among workers between commitment to the social value of care and the alienation from a system that does not respond to residents’ needs.