Conducted interviews with 54 home care clients (over half of whom were age 60+) and their home health aides and personal care attendants. Interviews revealed home care relationships tended to be both formal and informal, in that job responsibilities tend to be diffusely defined and home care workers often became involved in the…

The first of three booklets on attendant care of severely disabled persons is addressed to the personal care attendants (PCAs). An introductory section reviews the basic concepts of independent living, noting the role of PCAs in promoting independence. Discussions of congenital and acquired disability are followed by information on equipment and…

The final manual of a series on attendant care for severely disabled persons is intended to help persons with a disability to hire and manage personal care attendants (PCAs). Models--private and shared systems--are reviewed, and advantages and disadvantages of each noted. Suggestions for interviewing and hiring PCAs include guidelines for…

A review of the kinds of jobs available in services developed to help the homebound elderly: Home health care, homemaker-home health aide, chore service, home repair and maintenance, home-delivered meals, telephone reassurance, and friendly visiting. (JT)

The second of three manuals on attendant care for disabled persons is intended for parents of severely handicapped youth. An initial message reviews typcial reactions of parents to their child's quest for independence while subsequent sections address the basic principles of independent living and parents' responsibility for structuring learning…

Two programs in the Miami area enable Florida senior citizens to earn money while aiding others. The Senior Surrogate Parent Program offers classroom instruction and on-the-job training in child care. Home nursing skills and nutrition are taught in the Companion Aide to the Elderly Program. (Author/MS)

The article discusses areas of behavioral gerontology that would profit from additional research, such as self-management, community caregiver training, and geriatric behavioral pharmacology. Considerations for adapting behavioral procedures for the elderly are discussed, and suggestions for expanding the role of behavior analysis in geriatric…

This study examined a wide variety of issues related to paraprofessional homecare work, including the background of the workforce and a profile of the client population. It specifically investigated the components of homecare work associated with job satisfaction. Interviews were conducted with 306 home attendants and 181 home health aides…

An Attendant Care Pilot Project, administered by the Home Care Service of New South Wales, Australia, and providing attendant care for 24 permanently severely physically disabled adults for 2 years, was evaluated. The patients were medically stable and intellectually capable of managing their own affairs; all had impairments which required…

A Ford Foundation demonstration project intended to improve the quality of work life and reduce turnover among homemakers/home health aides in the home care industry was evaluated. The project supported three separate work life demonstration at home care agencies in New York City and Syracuse, New York and in San Diego, California. The…

With the increased use of paraprofessionals as service providers to the elderly, and indication in current literature that negative attitudes toward the aged are reflected in treatment received, the need for specialized training in geriatrics is apparent. A true-false 54-item questionnaire concerning older people's social, economic, physical and…

This report evaluates a self-directed personal service (SDPS) program operated through the larger Enable Program for people with disabilities in Onondaga County, New York. First, it contrasts characteristics of traditional personal assistance services (such as low pay, agency-determined, limited types/levels of support, and program management…

Increasing demands for home health aides to the frail elderly and disabled, coupled with a high rate of turnover among these aides, has led to growing concerns over worker recruitment and retention in the home care industry. This paper therefore describes a model developed to explain job satisfaction and turnover among home health aides. The model…

Prepared by an advisory committee composed of members of the National Council for Homemaker Services, the Council on Social Work Education, the National Study Service, and specialists in social work, this teaching unit has been compiled to aid teachers in helping students learn about the homemaker-home health aide service. Included in the unit…

This guide, based on a qualitative research study which identified primary stressors in families of children with traumatic brain injury (TBI), presents: (1) a summary of the needs of families affected by TBI; and (2) a proposed theoretical intervention model to meet those needs. The first section attempts to describe the present system of…