PERCEPTIONS OF HOME CARE WORKERS AND FAMILY CAREGIVERS.
Contributors: State University of New York at Albany.
Published: 1993
Number of pages: 179
Subjects: Gerontology.; Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: More families are seeking assistance from social and health agencies to provide personal care for the frail elderly. The home care worker often is the link between the family and the home care agency. The three purposes of this research were to determine differences in perceptions between home care workers and family caregivers; to explore variations among daughter, wife, and husband caregivers; and to identify associations between individual worker and family caregiver characteristics and perceptions of the relationship.

The setting for this study was a Visiting Nurse Association in central New York State. A sample of 25 home care workers employed by the agency, and 45 family caregivers (15 daughters, 15 wives, and 15 husbands), with family members receiving services from the agency, were interviewed. They also completed a Worker/Family Perceptions Questionnaire which was designed to measure perceptions in four areas: acceptance, conflict, control, and caregiver benefit. Four agency administrators were also interviewed for their views regarding worker and caregiver perceptions.

Workers and caregivers were generally positive about their relationship, though workers reported perceptions of more conflict (p =.0001) than family caregivers. These perceptions of conflict were based on caregiver requests which exceeded planned care, a sense of not being able to meet all needs of the client and a reluctance to discuss bothersome behavior with the caregivers. More mature workers (over age 50), however, perceived greater confidence in giving care and more benefit to the family than younger workers. In turn, administrators favored more mature workers and identified communication as a significant component of home care service delivery for both workers and family.

Implications are for increased worker preparation regarding family involvement in care at home, administrator awareness of worker and family perceptions, and caregiver orientation and education of worker role. Future research, using matched groups of workers, caregivers, clients and agency staff is recommended to enhance the understanding of all members of the home care service unit. Investigation of employed caregivers will assist in future planning for home care worker services.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 54-04, Section: A, page: 1501.

Thesis (PH.D.)--STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT ALBANY, 1993.

School code: 0668.