Navigating Conflict: A Model for Nursing Home Social Workers (Practice Forum) (Report‪)‬

With growing numbers of older people entering nursing homes (NHs), NH social workers will continue to handle the bulk of complex human behavior problems, yet there is increasing concern that NHs employ social workers who lack conflict management skills (Kirkpatrick & Brinson, 1986; Vinton & Mazza, 1994). NH social workers serve in a variety of roles requiring a broad repertoire of skills, including one that is all too often ignored: managing interpersonal conflict. Conflict is a condition inherent to all human interaction, and it is common in the NH setting (Nelson & Cox, 2004). In fact, a growing literature paints the NH as especially virulent (Nelson & Cox; Painter, 1999). Here, we illustrate why it is crucial to prepare NH social workers to handle conflict. To this end, we present a resident-centered conflict resolution model that will help guide NH social workers to the best tactic for given types of situations. THE CONFLICT DYNAMICS OF NH SOCIAL WORK