The Home Health Workforce: A Distinction Between Worker Categories

Stone, Robyn; Sutton, Janet P.; Bryant, Natasha; Adams, Annelise; Squillace, Marie R.

doi:10.1080/01621424.2013.851049

Cited by 30 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Supported by findings from this study, HHAs serve as key agents in managing the healthcare of adults with mental or behavioral health needs. They can act as the 'eyes and ears' for the healthcare team, thus including them in communication across providers should be used as a strategy for managing a client's care plan ( Stone, Sutton, Bryant, Adams, & Squillace, 2013 ). One unexpected by-product of these focus groups with HHAs was the emphasis placed on peer-support.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental and behavioral health conditions among older adults: implications for the home care workforce

Gleason

Coyle

2015

Aging & Mental Health

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Objectives-The shift towards home and community-based care, coupled with the growing prevalence of mental and behavioral health conditions, increases the demand for skilled home care workers. However, little is known about the experiences of home care aides who provide care to clients with mental and behavioral health diagnoses. The purpose of this study was to identify challenges aides face in providing care to this particular group of clients, as well as the strategies and support they utilize to complete their job responsibilities.Methods-Data from five focus groups with home care workers (N = 49) throughout Massachusetts were used to examine the experiences of home care workers providing services to adults with mental or behavioral health needs. A constant comparative method was used during analysis of the focus group transcripts.Results-Aides described a lack of prior-knowledge of challenging client behaviors, leaving them unprepared to deal with disruptions to care delivery. Aides feel unsafe or unsure providing care to someone with complex needs, made worse by a perceived lack of training and support from the broader care team. Aides develop unique strategies for accomplishing their work.Conclusion-This analysis of the aide's perspective contributes valuable, and often unheard, insight to inform what we know about providing reliable, quality and safe home care to this growing group of vulnerable adults. Implications of this convergence are discussed relative to aides.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mental and behavioral health conditions among older adults: implications for the home care workforce

Gleason

Coyle

2015

Aging & Mental Health

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“…HCWs, which include home health aides (HHA) and personal care aides (PCA), are one of the fastest growing sectors of the health care industry and US economy. 14 – 16 While their roles differ, with HHAs receiving more specialized training and having a greater scope of tasks than PCAs, 17 – 19 both provide physical and emotional support to HF patients. 17 HCWs are with patients on a daily or near-daily basis 17 , 20 and are often involved with key aspects of HF maintenance and management including meal preparation, weight and fluid monitoring, medication compliance, and transportation to medical appointments.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Home care workers in heart failure: a systematic review

Sterling¹,

Shaw²,

Leung³

et al. 2018

JMDH

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BackgroundHome care workers (HCWs), which include home health aides and personal care aides, are increasingly used by heart failure (HF) patients for post-acute care and long-term assistance. Despite their growing presence, they have largely been left out of HF research and interventions. This systematic review was aimed to 1) describe utilization patterns of HCWs by adults with HF, 2) examine the effect of HCWs on HF outcomes, and 3) review HF interventions that involve HCWs.MethodsFive electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, Cochrane Library [Wiley], CINAHL [EBSCO], and AgeLine [EBSCO]) were searched from inception through August 4, 2017. The yield was screened using prespecified inclusion and exclusion criteria. Two authors independently reviewed references and a third reviewer acted as an arbitrator when needed. Data were extracted from articles that met the inclusion criteria. The Downs and Black checklist was used for quality assessment. Due to study heterogeneity, a narrative synthesis was conducted.ResultsOf the 7,032 studies screened, 13 underwent full-text review, and six met the inclusion criteria. Two descriptive studies found that adults with HF who live alone and have functional and cognitive deficits utilize HCWs. While three retrospective cohort studies examined the association between having an HCW post-HF hospitalization and readmission rates, their findings were conflicting. One quasi-experimental study found that an HCW-delivered educational intervention improved HF patients’ self-care abilities. Overall, despite some significant findings, the studies assessed were of poor-to-fair quality (Downs and Black score range: 10–16 [28 total points]), with most lacking methodological rigor.ConclusionAlthough HCWs are quite common, the literature on these paraprofessionals in HF is limited. Given the paucity of research in this area and the low quality of studies reviewed here, additional research is warranted on the potential role of HCWs in HF self-care and on outcomes among adults with HF.

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“…sets out the main characteristics and employment conditions outlined in the reviewed literature. The left-hand column identifies each specific element, the right-hand column elaborates on each element in more detail.In essence, the majority of home care work in Australia is performed by female, middle-aged, low paid workers, with a significant proportion from minority backgrounds(AIHW, 2015).This demographic is also represented internationally e.g., in the United States(AIHW, 2015;Stone, Sutton, Bryant, Adams, & Squillace, 2015), the United Kingdom(Manthorpe & Martineau, 2008), and some European countries(Boerma, Kroneman, Hutchinson & Saltman, 2013). Understanding this demographic is important as it may inform strategies to recruit and retain a robust home care workforce.…”

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confidence: 99%

Home care in Australia: an integrative review

Palesy

Jakimowicz

Saunders

et al. 2018

Home Health Care Services Quarterly

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The home care sector comprises one of Australia's fastest growing workforces, yet few papers capture the overall landscape of Australian home care. This integrative review investigates home care with the aim of better understanding care recipients and their needs, funding, and regulation; care worker skills, tasks, demographics, employment conditions, and training needs. Over 2,700 pieces of literature were analyzed to inform this review. Results suggest sector fragmentation and a home care workforce who, although well-placed to improve outcomes for care recipients, are in need of better training and employment support. Suggestions for future research regarding Australian home care include studies that combine both aged and disability aspects of care, more research around care recipients, priority needs and strategies for addressing them, and how best to prepare home care workers for their roles.

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The Home Health Workforce: A Distinction Between Worker Categories

Cited by 30 publications

References 9 publications

Mental and behavioral health conditions among older adults: implications for the home care workforce

Mental and behavioral health conditions among older adults: implications for the home care workforce

Home care workers in heart failure: a systematic review

Home care in Australia: an integrative review

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