Beyond Functional Support: The Range Of Health-Related Tasks Performed In The Home By Paid Caregivers In New York

Abstract

Paid caregivers (for example, home health aides and personal care attendants) are formally tasked with helping older adults with functional impairment meet their basic needs at home. This study used thirty semistructured interviews with dyads of patients or their proxies and their paid caregivers in New York City to understand the range of health-related tasks that paid caregivers perform in the home and determine whether these tasks are taught in the New York State Department of Health's curriculum. We found that patients, proxies, and paid caregivers all reported that paid caregivers performed a wide range of health-related tasks that were often not part of their formal training. Creating clear competencies for paid caregivers that reflect the full breadth of health-related tasks they may perform in the home could help maximize the positive impact of the paid caregiver workforce on the lives of patients living at home with functional impairment.

Home Care Aide Safety Concerns and Job Challenges During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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“…10 Aides also provide support beyond practical and clinical tasks, including emotional support and companionship. 9 This support helps keep their clients safe, decrease hospitalizations, and cut health care costs. 11 Nationally, aides are among the fastest-growing occupations with a projected growth rate of 36–37 percent.…”

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Home care workers caring for adults with heart failure need better access to training and technology: A role for implementation science

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