In long-term care it is increasingly apparent that who is on shift is just as important as how many staff are on shift. Quality care is difficult to achieve when we do not routinely engage with one another in a positive, or civil, manner.
Ready to tackle violence prevention in healthcare? Discover our immersive, scenario-based training that identifies hidden risks and boosts your team's competency!
Psychological health and safety, often called workplace mental health, encompasses principles and practices to foster a supportive, respectful, and psychologically safe work environment.
WorkSafeBC is holding a second public hearing this month on proposed changes to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation related to combustible dusts.
Amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation (OHSR), Part 5: Chemical Agents and Biological Agents – Emergency Planning came into effect on February 3, 2025. Changes include additional requirements to minimize the risk, likelihood, and harm caused by an emergency involving hazardous substances. Hazardous substances include biological, chemical or physical hazards that may reasonably […]
Violence and aggressive behaviours are not part of your job.
Your safety matters: understanding and preventing workplace violence in continuing care
A resident grabs your arm while you're helping them dress. A client's family member corners you in a hallway, shouting. A person you've cared for every day this week lashes out during a transfer. You go home sore, shaken, or both.
If any of this sounds familiar, you're not alone. Violence is one of the leading causes of injury for healthcare workers in British Columbia — and workers in long-term care and home support are among those most impacted. It can take a toll on your body, your mental health, and your ability to keep showing up for the people who depend on you.
What counts as violence in the workplace?
Workplace violence means physical force that causes injury to a worker. It also means any threatening statement or behaviour that gives you reasonable cause to believe you're in danger.
Workplace violence is not just punches or kicks. It can look like being grabbed while providing care, being screamed at or backed into a corner, or a threatening gesture that leaves you afraid for your safety.
In continuing care, violence can come from many sources: residents, clients, family members, visitors, or others at work. It can happen during routine care, during a tense conversation with a family member, or without any warning at all.
The bottom line: violence is not part of the job. No matter how much you care about the people you support, being hurt or threatened should never be treated as normal.
Why continuing care workers face higher risk
Workplace violence is one of the leading causes of injury for healthcare workers in British Columbia. Workers in long-term care and home support face a higher risk due to the nature of their work.
Close physical contact during care. Helping someone bathe, dress, eat, or move means entering their personal space. For people living with cognitive impairment or pain, that closeness can trigger fear, confusion, or resistance.
Working alone. Home support workers often provide care in a client's home with no other staff nearby. If a situation turns unsafe, immediate help may not be available.
Medical conditions and cognitive impairment. Many residents and clients live with dementia, brain injuries, mental health conditions, or other issues that affect their behaviour and how they understand what's happening around them.
Emotional and difficult circumstances. Care settings involve people and families going through grief, loss, frustration, or crisis. These emotions can sometimes spill over into verbal aggression or threats.
None of these factors makes violence acceptable. But they help explain why care work needs tailored violence prevention strategies.
Responsive behaviours
If you work with people living with dementia, you already know this tension. A resident strikes out while you're helping them get dressed — not because they want to hurt you, but because they're frightened, in pain, or can't understand what's happening.
A resident or client’s behaviour may be a response to something in their environment, their body, or their emotional state. It's a form of communication, not intentional aggression. Understanding this shapes how care is planned and how teams approach prevention.
However, a bruise caused by a person living with dementia hurts just as much as any other bruise. The fear and stress of unpredictable situations affect your well-being, no matter what caused them.
Many continuing care workers carry this tension every shift. You know the person didn't mean to hurt you. Those feelings make sense—and they're exactly why violence prevention in this sector is complex. Education and resources tailored for continuing care support you in understanding responsive behaviours and approach care in ways that lower the risk for everyone.
Too many acts of violence in continuing care go under-reported. You might hold back because you feel the behaviour was "just part of the job," don't want to get a resident in trouble, or don't believe anything will change.
But reporting is one of the most important things you can do — for yourself and for your coworkers.
Imagine a resident becomes agitated and grabs a worker's arm during morning care three days in a row. The first worker doesn't report it. The second doesn't either. On day three, a worker is injured. If those earlier incidents had been reported, the care team could have reviewed the care plan, adjusted the approach, or added support during that time of day. One report might not seem like much on its own. But over time, reports build a picture that leads to real changes — in care plans, staffing, training, or procedures.
Stay aware of situations that could become unsafe and report any act of violence at work. When you report, you protect yourself and your coworkers.
If your workplace doesn't have a clear reporting process, we have resources that can help you put one in place.
Preventing workplace violence takes more than good intentions. It's a complex issue that calls for a multi-faceted response. The good news: investing in violence prevention training and strategies makes workplaces safer for workers and improves the quality of care for residents and clients.
Building safer workplaces together
Violence prevention doesn't fall on any one person. It takes workers who speak up. It takes organizations that invest in training, risk assessment, and strong policies. And it starts with a shared belief that everyone in a care setting — workers, residents, clients, and families — deserves to be safe.
You have the right to a safe workplace. Learn the signs of risk, report what you see, and build your skills with the training and tools available to you.
Explore all violence-prevention resources from SafeCare BC, linked below.
What this means for you
Workplace violence isn't just physical assault. Verbal threats and intimidating behaviour count too — and you have the right to be protected from all of it.
The risks you face (close physical care, working alone, residents with cognitive impairment) come with the sector, not with your job description. They need specific prevention strategies, not acceptance.
Responsive behaviours in people with dementia are a form of communication, not intentional aggression. But the impact on you is real, and you deserve support either way.
Reporting isn't about getting someone in trouble. It's about building a record that leads to safer systems, better care plans, and stronger protections for everyone.
You don't have to figure this out alone. Training and tools are available to help you feel better prepared and more confident on the job.
It's broader than most people think. It includes physical force that causes injury, but also any threatening statement or behaviour that gives you reasonable cause to believe you're in danger. Being grabbed, screamed at, cornered, or threatened all count.
It can come from residents, clients, family members, visitors, or others in the work environment. There's no single profile — it can happen during routine care, in a conversation with a family member, or without warning.
Yes. The cause doesn't change the impact. Even when a behaviour is connected to a medical condition, the injury and distress are real. Understanding responsive behaviours helps shape better care approaches, but it doesn't mean you should accept being hurt.
Because reports aren't about blame — they're about patterns. Each report helps your workplace spot risks, adjust care plans, and put protections in place. Without that information, nothing changes. By reporting, you prevent incidents from re-occurring and protect your co-workers.
Start with a point-of-care risk check before and during each visit. SafeCare BC's Point-of-Care Risk Assessment and Violence Risk Assessment toolkit are both designed with your situation in mind. Talk to your employer about safe work procedures for lone workers — they have a legal duty to address this. Follow your organization’s check-in procedures, review your client’s care plan, have a clear exit plan, and contact your supervisor or emergency personnel immediately if it’s unsafe to proceed.
Working with clients or residents and their families is not always easy. You may not be able to control how others act, but you can control how you respond.
Use the point of care assessment template below to identify the risks in each of the four boxes that may have lead to the resident becomeing responsive.
The Home Care and Community Health Support Pocketbook was created to bring awareness to several health and safety issues faced in home and community care.
When a critical incident impacts your team, it's vital to have a safe space to talk and heal. Our critical incident debriefing tools provide leaders and frontline staff in BC's long-term care and home support sectors with a structured way to discuss what happened, ensuring everyone feels supported with dignity and respect. Discover how to create a culture of psychological safety, identify available resources, and learn to navigate these challenging conversations to promote recovery and well-being.
To empower workplaces that provide care to create a culture of safety through evidence-based education, advocacy for safer workplaces, leadership, and collaboration
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