OA2500. Building organizational resilience in elderly care: The S4R digital toolbox for promoting workforce well-being and safety
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Problem/Issue Elderly-care systems across Europe face growing challenges, including staff shortages, high mental health burdens, and widespread burnout. These pressures threaten both service quality and the safety of care environments. Frontline healthcare workers, particularly in long-term and primary care settings are increasingly exposed to occupational stressors, while organizational leaders often lack structured tools to proactively manage workforce well-being. The EU -funded Support for Resilience (S4R) project addresses this gap by developing an evidence-based, digital Toolbox designed to enhance resilience at both the individual and organizational level. Results A context mapping and an initial mixed-methods data collection was performed in 6 European countries. This permitted to obtain an initial assessment of the current situation of healthcare workers, leaders, and informal caregivers in elderly care in Finland, Norway, Spain, Romania, Italy, and the Netherlands. These findings, together with results from three literature reviews, led to a development phase of the Toolbox. The S4R Toolbox includes: (a) a Mapping Tool to assess resilience-related challenges, (b) a Reflection & Education Tool to support shared learning, and (c) a Reorganization Tool designed to facilitate adaptive planning. The pilot testing is planned for fall 2025, and the implementation phase will start in March 2026. The implementation will last 12 months and we will evaluate the effectiveness, the cost-effectiveness and the process. Lessons Organizational resilience in elderly care must go beyond individual coping strategies. Structural tools that enable leaders to evaluate risks, align workforce capacities, and implement targeted interventions can significantly improve both professional safety and service quality. A digital, co-designed approach fosters user ownership and feasibility across diverse care systems. As implementation proceeds, the S4R project promises to deliver scalable policy and practice insights to embed safety, mental well-being, and resilience into everyday care management. Key messages • Strengthening organizational resilience is key to safeguarding mental well-being and care quality in elderly-care systems across Europe. • The S4R digital Toolbox equips leaders with practical tools to assess, reflect, and improve resilience in diverse elderly-care settings. Topic Organizational Resilience, Workforce Well-being, Elderly Care Safety, Digital Toolbox.
Institutions: Hellenic Mediterranean University, University of Stavanger
Language: English
Subfield: General Health Professions
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,181
OpenAlex ID: W4416208799