Organizing across borders

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.

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

Ageing and Society ◽

10.1017/s0144686x08007708 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 29 (3) ◽

pp. 337-350 ◽

Cited By ~ 40

Author(s):

MARTHA DOYLE ◽

VIRPI TIMONEN

Keyword(s):

Long Term Care ◽

Care Work ◽

Term Care ◽

Care Services ◽

Care Givers ◽

Experience Of Care ◽

Care Workers ◽

Cultural Care ◽

Industrialised Countries

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.

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Contextualising everyday ethics in social care work based on two case studies of Norwegian long-term care

International Journal of Care and Caring ◽

10.1332/239788221x16345698940490 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Karen Christensen ◽

Mariya Bikova

Keyword(s):

Case Studies ◽

Long Term Care ◽

Moral Distress ◽

Social Care ◽

Ethnographic Study ◽

Care Work ◽

Ageing Population ◽

Structural Factors ◽

Term Care

The ageing population and long-term care policies of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries have put pressure on social care work, creating patterns of difficult ethical situations. This article contributes to contextualising such situations by applying a ‘micro-ethics’ perspective and a theoretical framework that connects micro-ethics to macro-sociological contexts, and combines the concept of ‘moral distress’ (of healthcare professionals) with feminist ethics. Based on two case studies from an ethnographic study of Norway’s long-term care, findings demonstrate how ethically difficult moments connect with structural factors, including bureaucratic, managerialist and de-professionalised models of social care work, and new relationships between older people and their families.

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