The problem with no solution? Exploring unwanted sexual attention in residential long-term care

Although unwanted sexual attention has been linked with care providers' negative health and occupational outcomes, limited research has explored thisin the context of long-term care homes. The purpose of this ethnographic study was to explore how care providers in one home in Ontario, Canada understood and responded to unwanted sexual attention from residents, and to explore how individual experiences were shaped by organizational and structural factors. Data collected includes participant observation and in-depth interviews with providers (n=25) across multiple professions and roles, as well as a discursive analysis of relevant documents. While participants reported multiple types of sexual attention and that these were uncomfortable or unwanted, they rarely reported these formally as they perceived these as unavoidable aspects of care work. Participants normalized sexual attention as a dementia-related symptom or mental pathology, and did not believe that systemic prevention was possible. As a result, they typically ignored sexual advances, distracted or redirected residents, and focused on completing their tasks. They also reported a lack of formal education and training regarding the management of unwanted sexual attention and expressed the desire for more assistance with managing sexual dynamics in practice. Our analysis suggests that participants' normalization of unwanted sexual attention is driven by reductive legal mechanisms for prevention of sexual harassment, as well biomedically focused dementia care education and training. Implications of these findings for policy and practice will be discussed.