Implementation of a mindfulness program targeting resilience and staff burnout in aged care services

The Mindfulness in Motion (MIM) program is an eight-week workplace mindfulness intervention designed to help frontline healthcare staff reduce burnout and stress while building resilience. Developed by Dr. Maryanna Klatt at Ohio State University (OSU), the program has been in use for almost 20 years. The MIM program consists of weekly one-hour sessions delivered via an online video conferencing platform, by a trained MIM facilitator at the participants place of work. Up to 15 participants can attend the MIM training program. The activities conducted during the sessions include: Reflective writing, didactic video, sharing reflections, experiential videos (on mindfulness meditation and gentle yoga) and closing meditation. To support participants' progress during the eight-week program, they will have access to audio and video resources through an online app. These resources will enable individual mindfulness and yoga self-practice for approximately 10-20 minutes, five times per week. Strategies to monitor adherence and intervention fidelity include attendance checklists, analytic data collected from a program App and a fidelity checklist. To support the rollout of the MIM program a Mindfulness Action Group (MAG) will be recruited from across the trial sites. The MAG will undertake training to enable them to become facilitators of the MIM program. This training will occur in two 8-week sessions, approximately seven months before the commencement of the MIM intervention with staff at the trial sites. In the first instance, the MAG members will undertake the usual 8 week online MIM training program (as described above) as full participant in the program, which will be facilitated by staff at OSU. The MAG will subsequently undertake a MIM fidelity online training program for another three months run by OSU. Next, an intensive training occurs in which staff at OSU teaches MAG staff to teach the MIM 8-week protocol to their own sites. This online program teaches the MAG members the specifics of running the MIM program according to the protocol, using a train-the-facilitator model with online resources and coaching. The final step in the MAG training is to facilitate one’s own 8-week session at their respective trial sites.