Background The care of elderly people in need of maintenance and care is affected by demographic changes and therefore will increasingly gain importance. It will be a challenge to provide tailored and versatile care services for the respective target groups. In addition to the various burdens of inpatient geriatric care, nursing staff is faced with further challenges when dealing with people suffering from dementia such as aggressive behavior, which is one of the more prominent characteristic behaviors that are a burden for the staff. These work strains can affect the nursing staff (e.g. in terms of somatic complaints and mental impairment) and therefore reduce the work ability and motivation in the long-term perspective. To ensure the provision of nursing care and health care, it is necessary that a sufficient number of qualified, healthy, and motivated care givers are available. Subject and methods Using survey data gathered from inpatient care institutions in Bavaria, Germany, the distribution of and differences in subjectively experienced burdens, health-promoting resources as well as burdensome behavior of demented people and the corresponding emotions of the nursing personnel should be examined (including factors of influence). The analysis is based on a random sample drawn from all existing inpatient nursing-care facilities in Bavaria equipped with both, open and closed areas or wards. The compiled sample consists of 805 questionnaires completed by the nursing staff of 53 institutions. In addition, 31 expert interviews with executives of the participating institutions are integrated. In order to analyze the data, descriptive as well as inductive statistical methods including linear and logistic multilevel regression analysis were applied. Results Based on the results of the multilevel analyses, the following conclusions can be drawn:individual-level variables (e.g. age, sex) as well as ward-level variables (e.g. time pressure, job insecurity, work organization) are crucial for subjective experienced burdens as measured by four health indicators (somatic complaints, mental exhaustion, petulance, mental impairment). Conclusion Managers have various instruments at their disposal to reduce the employees’ individually experienced burdens and strains. By specifically influencing the factors identified within the framework of the present analysis, managers - particularly those at the ward-level - can reduce the level of subjective experienced burdens. These opportunities should be seized in order to maintain the employees’ ability and willingness to work in the long term.