scholarly journals The different faces of care work: understanding the experiences of the multi-cultural care workforce

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 337-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARTHA DOYLE ◽  
VIRPI TIMONEN

ABSTRACTAn increased demand for long-term care services coupled with the decreased availability of informal (family) carers in many industrialised countries has led to the employment of growing numbers of ‘migrant care workers’. Little is known about this heterogeneous group or of their experience of employment in long-term care. Providing an important insight into a hitherto little researched and poorly understood topic, this article presents the findings of a qualitative study in Ireland that sought greater understanding of migrant carers' experience of care work and of the intra-group differences among them. The findings suggest that some members of the long-term care workforce are more likely to confront obstacles and discrimination than others. The data indicate that the experiences of European, South Asian and African carers are significantly different and that relationships may exist between carers' region of origin and their experience of care work, employment mobility and long-term plans for remaining in the sector. The findings underscore the significance of acknowledging the unique barriers and obstacles faced by particular populations of care workers. A better understanding of the changing demographic profile and needs of both care recipients and their paid (migrant) care-givers is required to ensure that appropriate policy and practical interventions are developed to support both groups.

2005 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 643-653 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Holden

Internationalized providers of care services face competing incentives and pressures relating to profit and quality. Case studies of corporate providers of long-term care in the UK demonstrate that their mode of organization has important implications for both user choice and the organization of care work. French Les fournisseurs internationalisés sont soumis à des pressions et à des incitatifs concurrentiels pour produire des profits et de la qualité. Des études de cas portant sur les fournisseurs institutionnels d'assistance à long terme au Royaume-Uni révèlent que leur mode d'organisation a d'importantes répercussions tant au niveau du choix des bénéficiaires qu'au niveau de l'organisation du travail d'assistance. Spanish Los prestadores transnacionales de servicios se enfrentan con incentivos que compiten entre sí y con la tensión entre calidad y ganancia. Se estudian unoscasos de prestadores de cuidados de larga duración en el Reino Unido. Estos demuestran que el modo de organización tiene consecuencias importantes, tanto para opciones abiertas al usuario como para la organización de los cuidados.


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 134-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Murphy ◽  
Thomas Turner

Purpose The undervaluing of care work, whether conducted informally or formally, has long been subject to debate. While much discussion, and indeed reform has centred on childcare, there is a growing need, particularly in countries with ageing populations, to examine how long-term care (LTC) work is valued. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the way in which employment policies (female labour market participation, retirement age, and precarious work) and social policies (care entitlements and benefits/leave for carers) affect both informal carers and formal care workers in a liberal welfare state with a rapidly ageing population. Design/methodology/approach Drawing the adult worker model the authors use the existing literature on ageing care and employment to examine the approach of a liberal welfare state to care work focusing on both supports for informal carers and job quality in the formal care sector. Findings The research suggests that employment policies advocating increased labour participation, delaying retirement and treating informal care as a form of welfare are at odds with LTC strategies which encourage informal care. Furthermore, the latter policy acts to devalue formal care roles in an economic sense and potentially discourages workers from entering the formal care sector. Originality/value To date research investigating the interplay between employment and LTC policies has focused on either informal or formal care workers. In combining both aspects, we view informal and formal care workers as complementary, interdependent agents in the care process. This underlines the need to develop social policy regarding care and employment which encompasses the needs of each group concurrently.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 1546-1553 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shaohua Hong ◽  
Ping Yu ◽  
Xueping Chen ◽  
Shiyu Qian

2021 ◽  
pp. 102425892110284
Author(s):  
Caroline Murphy ◽  
Michelle O’Sullivan

This article examines the ongoing efforts of trade unions in Ireland to protect and improve the working conditions of personal care workers amid employment and social policy regimes associated with a liberal welfare state. Comparatively low public expenditure on care and the increasing marketisation of care services have undermined the provision of decent work. This article assesses two major union campaigns related to personal care workers over two decades, and reviews the key priorities that have emerged for unions during the COVID-19 pandemic. We consider whether the outcomes of these campaigns have been converted into enhanced rewards for workers and discuss the continuing challenges for union campaigning.


Impact ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (3) ◽  
pp. 26-27
Author(s):  
Toshihiko Ando

Ageing populations in industrialised countries and a growing proportion of working age individuals is placing a burden on care workers. It is important that countries adapt in order to increase the quantity and quality of care and better integrate the aged into society, including fostering cross-generational interactions. Japan is one of the countries leading the way in this area and Associate Professor Toshihiko Ando, Department of General Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Sendai College, Japan, is a researcher who is developing novel tools for enhancing elderly care. With a background in computing and electrical engineering and these fields' interactions with humans, Ando is looking at how robotics can be applied to elderly care. The goal is to support long-term care in order to enable elderly people to remain active and the burden on caregivers is reduced. Ando is also using his work as a mechanism for involving non-care specialists, including students, in the field of long-term care. This includes the use of teaching materials and visits to care facilities. Ando and his students have developed basic robots that can help with general tasks and they are interested in examining how elderly care patients respond to the presence of robots.


Author(s):  
Antti Hämäläinen

The article elaborates what aspects of knowledge eldercare workers describe concerning everyday long-term care practices. The article utilises a thematic analysis of Finnish long-term care workers’ semi-structured interviews (n = 25), and in doing so, it contributes to the discussion concerning the epistemological basis of care. The analysis specifies four aspects of knowledge in long-term care work: objective/objectifying, particular, corporeal and tacit. In line with existing literature on knowledge and care, the findings indicate that rational-technical epistemological approaches are insufficient when complex and fluid care relations are concerned. Moreover, cognitive impairments and other particularities of eldercare provide previously under-researched epistemological perspectives for consideration.


2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 159-159
Author(s):  
Janette Dill ◽  
Bianca Frogner

Abstract The crisis of COVID-19 in long-term care services and supports (LTSS) has brought attention to challenges in staffing long-term care organizations, as shortages of direct care workers led to a dramatic inability to provide needed care for many residents in nursing homes and other residential care settings. In this study, we examine unemployment among LTSS direct care workers during the crisis and recovery. This study uses monthly data from January 2019 to December 2020 from the Current Population Survey, a monthly household survey collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and we compare an individual’s 2019 monthly employment patterns to their 2020 monthly employment. Long-term care workers had an unemployment rate of 2.8% in April 2020, when unemployment rates in the US reached a peak; however, new unemployment among long-term care workers has not declined as consistently as in other settings. Female health care workers were significantly more likely to be unemployed compared to their male counterparts, a trend that is consistent with the overall economy, and workers who earned the lowest wages were more likely to have transitioned to unemployment. COVID-19 has added significant complexity to the provision of direct care services, making LTSS a hazardous place to work. Concerns remain about unemployment in long-term care where demand for workers remains high; additional measures need to be taken to ensure that direct care workers have the resources they need to remain employed.


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