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Corpus-assisted analysis of the collocational profiles of the terms denoting elderly care workers
- Author:
- RUSSO Daniel
- Journal article citation:
- Working with Older People, 25(3), 2021, pp.193-201.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the terms used in the Macmillan Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary to identify the people who are paid to provide care to the elderly and check their presence in a corpus – professional home care (PHC) – of three UK-based specialised websites. Design/methodology/approach: This study is based on the frameworks and methods of corpus-assisted Discourse Analysis (Baker, 2006). The terms were extracted from a corpus of British websites of companies providing PHC services. Findings: This study highlights that in the PHC corpus, the words “caregiver” and “carer” are used as synonyms at the level of popular communication, whereas “care assistant” and “care worker” are used for intra-specialistic communication. The analysis also points out the variations in terminology observed in the corpora that are intended for different communication contexts, e.g. how professionals define themselves compared to how external actors identify them. Originality/value: This paper provides insight into the terminological aspects of caregiving in the professional field through a corpus-based study on specialised terminology integrating lexicographic considerations. This methodological framework can capture the sociolinguistic attitudes of speakers. (Edited publisher abstract)
Potentiality made workable - exploring logics of care in reablement for older people
- Author:
- BODKER Malene Norskov
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 39(9), 2019, pp.2018-2041.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
In the face of population ageing, Western health-care systems are currently demonstrating an immense interest in mobilising older people's potentials. With this agenda in mind, several countries have introduced reablement: a type of home care aimed at mobilising older people's potentials for independence by means of short-term training programmes. Based on extensive ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Denmark's home care sector, this paper explores how elder-care professionals translate the abstract notion of ‘potentiality’ into practice. Theoretically, the paper draws on Annemarie Mol's term ‘logic of care’. The author demonstrates that professionals draw on two co-existing logics of care: a logic of reablement encapsulating ideals of successful ageing and life-long development; and a logic of retirement, which in contrast allows people at the end of life to retreat and engage in enjoyable activities. Professionals manage to balance these logics in order to live up to policy obligations while at the same time complying with moral standards of good care. However, very little is achieved in terms of increased independence. The author argues that by narrowly focusing on bodily and quantifiable potentials, the ‘potentiality paradigm’ holds the risk of deeming older people to lack potential. In conclusion, the article encourages a more inclusive approach to elder-care and ageing that recognises the complexities of ageing, including older people's potentials for retreat and leisure. (Edited publisher abstract)
Ending 15-minute care
- Author:
- LEONARD CHESHIRE DISABILITY
- Publisher:
- Leonard Cheshire Disability
- Publication year:
- 2013
- Pagination:
- 15
- Place of publication:
- London
Leonard Cheshire Disability's research into the public's views on home care visitis used a ComRes poll of 2,025 British adults conducted between 6 and 8 September 2013. This survey found that 96% of those expressing an opinion agree that disabled or older people have the right to receive social care visits that allow for enough time for care workers to give the appropriate support to do everyday things. Of those who expressed an opinion, 67% of people disagree that 15-minute care visits are an effective way of providing social care. This report also presents findings from Freedom of Information requests to local authorities; and based on the 63 responses that said how many 15-minute visits they delivered, 60% now commission such visits. Care workers themselves raised concerns about the impact 15-minute visits on their clients' quality of life. The report notes that the Care Bill currently going through Parliament provides an opportunity to end this practice. (Original abstract)
Promoting empathy in social care for older people
- Authors:
- STRANDBERG Thomas, EKLUND Jakob, MANTHORPE Jill
- Journal article citation:
- Working with Older People, 16(3), 2012, pp.101-110.
- Publisher:
- Emerald
The purpose of this paper is to identify connections between empathy and social care, considering the way in which services are underpinned by empathy between the older person receiving such support and the paid home-care worker. Five doctoral theses, published from 1996-2007, which discussed empathy among care workers of older people in Sweden were analysed. Methodologically, the examination underpinned an interpretive content analysis. The main themes which emerged during the analysis were: time, power, older adults, needs, caring-relationships, organisation, and personal ability. The meta-analysis revealed conflicting feelings among care workers. Most experienced frustration when they were not able to express empathy in their working practices. Empathy was typically hindered by lack of time, care workers' own needs, and inflexible home care systems. However, a key element of the job-satisfaction reported by care workers appeared to be its empathic nature. Most care workers perceive encounters with older people as opportunities to respond empathically rather than indifferently. The implications of these findings are discussed.
The impact of migrant work in the elder care sector: recent trends and empirical evidence in Italy
- Authors:
- ROSA Mirko Di, et al
- Journal article citation:
- European Journal of Social Work, 15(1), 2012, pp.9-27.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
This article analyses the phenomenon of migrant care work in the Italian elder care sector. Due to current demographic, economic and socio-cultural trends, the potential availability of informal family care has been decreasing while, on the other hand, still strong familistic attitudes have so far limited the emergence of home and residential care services. A care regime has gradually developed in which monetary transfers to dependent older people are often used to privately employ migrant care workers. This is analysed in the context of 2 different studies carried out in Italy in 2004-2005. The Italian survey for the EUROFAMCARE study was conducted on 990 family caregivers of older people, and the DIPO survey was conducted on 220 foreign women privately employed by families to provide care to older people in Central Italy. The article uses the results of these surveys to discuss the impact of migrant care work on both family care and professional care work in Italy. The main findings suggest that the widespread employment of migrant care workers, propelled by public care allowances, has certainly relieved many families from most burdensome care tasks, but at the same time partly ‘crowded out’ formal care services. Care quality issues remain, however, largely under-investigated, as do care drain effects in sending countries.
What makes migrant live-in home care workers in elder care be satisfied with their job?
- Author:
- IECOVICH Esther
- Journal article citation:
- Gerontologist, 51(5), October 2011, pp.617-629.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
The study investigated job satisfaction of migrant live-in home care workers who provide care to older people in Israel. It also explored the extent to which quality of relationships between the care provider and care recipient and workplace characteristics was related to job satisfaction. Three hundred and thirty five Philippine workers and their care recipients participated. Findings revealed that job satisfaction, quality of relationships, and workplace characteristics were positive. Job satisfaction was linked to workers’ qualifications, workplace characteristics, and quality of relationships from the perspective of care recipients, whereas satisfaction with benefits was affected by workplace characteristics and quality of relationships from the perspective of the care workers. The author concluded that enabling migrant live-in care workers more job decision authority and variety could increase overall job satisfaction. Suggestions for future research focusing on additional job-related characteristics that explain job satisfaction is needed.
One-year predictors of turnover among personal-care workers for older adults living at home in Italy
- Authors:
- BILOTTA Claudio, NICOLINI Paola, VERGANI Carlo
- Journal article citation:
- Ageing and Society, 31(4), May 2011, pp.611-624.
- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
Privately-employed personal-care workers for community-dwelling older adults are widespread in Italy. There have been estimated to be over 700,000 personal-care workers in Italy, with 93% being foreigners. The turnover of these workers is known to be high. This study aimed to identify the predictors of the turnover of personal-care workers. This prospective cohort study in Milan, Italy enrolled 121 older adults living at home along with their personal-care workers and 107 informal carers. The older participants underwent a comprehensive geriatric assessment. At 1 year follow-up, 12 of the older participants had been placed in a nursing home and 26 had died. Of the 83 still living at home, 22 (26.5%) had changed their personal-care staff. Analysis found that the only characteristic of personal-care staff significantly associated with turnover at 1 year follow-up was living far away from their families. Two characteristics of the elders, namely being widowed and having cognitive impairment, were found to be predictors of a low turnover of personal-care workers. These older adults were more likely to keep their personal-care workers at the one-year follow-up independently of the perceived quality of care.
"Squeezed like a lemon": a participatory approach on the effects of innovation on the well-being of homecare workers in Belgium
- Authors:
- BENSLIMAN Rachida, CASINI Annalisa, MAHIEU Celine
- Journal article citation:
- Health and Social Care in the Community, 30(4), 2022, pp.e1013-e1024.
- Publisher:
- Wiley
Innovative programs that emerge in response to the rapidly changing care needs of older adults provide an opportunity to study the transformations in working and employment conditions within the homecare sector. This study seeks to understand how innovations introduced in the homecare sector have affected the well-being of homecare workers providing non-medical domestic support to older adults who wish to age in place. Our study is based on a participatory approach involving homecare workers exposed to two innovations in Wallonia (Belgium) that relate to flexible working hours, worker training, and technological equipment. We conducted a literature review, six semi-structured individual interviews with managers, and eight workshops based on the 'Group Analysis Method' involving 9 to 12 homecare workers. The results revealed that the innovations deteriorated working conditions, intensified occupational psychosocial risk factors, and impacted work-life balance. This gave rise to tensions that ultimately had a negative impact on the well-being of workers and on the quality of their care relationship with older adults/caregivers, while also weakening the viability of the services. The workers proposed some avenues to improve and regulate these tensions. (Edited publisher abstract)
Moral choices and responsibilities: the home-help service at the borderland of care management when older people consider relocation to a residential home
- Author:
- SODERBERG Maria
- Journal article citation:
- Ethics and Social Welfare, 14(4), 2020, pp.369-383.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Abingdon
The aim of this article is to reveal how care workers in the home-help services handle the process when older people’s relocation to a residential home is under consideration. Since the care workers are engaged daily in defining care receivers’ needs and yet have no formal influence on care decisions in Sweden, the focus is on how they solve this dilemma. In this inductive study, the theoretical framework is based on occupational alliances, relationship-based practice, and discretion. Thirty-three care workers in home-help services are included in open semi-structured interviews. Prominent features in the findings are that the care workers take their stand at the borderland of care management, when they know or try to find out what is right. The conclusions drawn are that care workers find ways to informally influence the decision-making process, quite contrary to the idea of approaches referred to as purchaser/provider models. The implications for social work policy and practice are that a distinction between assessment and intervention may not benefit the field of eldercare and should therefore be regarded as an area in need of thorough reconsideration. (Edited publisher abstract)
Perceptions and practice behaviors regarding late-life depression among private duty home care workers: a mixed-methods study
- Authors:
- XIANG Xiaoling, et al
- Journal article citation:
- Aging and Mental Health, 24(11), 2020, pp.1904-1911.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Background: This study aimed to examine personal care aides (PCAs)’ knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes towards late-life depression and their experience caring for older adults with depression. Method: This study used a mixed-methods convergent parallel design involving an online survey (n = 87) and semi-structured interviews (n = 22). Survey respondents were recruited using convenience sampling and interviewees using purposive sampling from private duty home care agencies in Michigan. Qualitative data analyzed using a technique involving data reduction and open coding. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: Most PCAs underestimated suicide rate among older adults, overrated self-help ability of the depressed person, underrated difficulty diagnosing depression, and attributed depression to personality flaws. PCAs favored psychotherapy and informal support and generally regarded medication as unhelpful, particularly in mild/moderate depression. Despite these discordances, PCAs’ self-reported practice behaviors included strategies (i.e., communication, behavioral, cognitive, emotional regulation, relational, and external) that were largely consistent with the scientific view, particularly relating to behavioral activation. A prominent theme from PCAs’ narratives was individualized care, reflected in their assessment of depressive symptoms, attitude towards depression treatment, and strategies caring for clients. Conclusions: Several areas of PCAs’ perceptions regarding late-life depression were discordant with the current scientific view, although their practice behaviors were largely consistent with the principles of evidence-based practice for depression. Specialized mental health training, a standard depression care protocol, and higher training standards are essential to mobilize the large number of PCAs to improve the mental health outcomes of hard-to-reach older adults. (Edited publisher abstract)