Division of Geriatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, United States.
Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2012 Sep-Oct;55(2):442-5. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2012.01.008. Epub 2012 Feb 22.
The purpose of this study was to determine the motivation of paid non-familial caregivers of seniors, understand more about their work conditions, and identify any links to negative outcomes among their senior clients. Ninety-eight paid caregivers (eighty-five female and thirteen male), recruited from multiple sites (i.e. senior centers, shopping malls, local parks, lobbies of senior apartments, caregiver agency meetings) completed face-to-face questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. We found that 60.7% of participants chose to become a caregiver because they enjoyed being with seniors while 31.7% were unable to obtain other work, and 8.2% stated it was a prerequisite to a different health related occupation. Caregivers stated that the most challenging conditions of their work were physical lifting (24.5%), behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (24.5%), senior depression/mood changes (18.4%), attachment with impending death (8.2%), missing injuries to client (5.1%), lack of sleep (4.1%), and lack of connection with outside world (3.1%). Caregivers who reported that the best part of their job was the salary, flexible hours, and ease of work were significantly more likely to have clients who fell and fractured a bone than those who enjoyed being with seniors (job characteristics, 62.5% vs. senior enjoyment, 25.6%; p<0.004). We concluded that in pursuing their occupation, paid caregivers are motivated commonly by their love of seniors and also by their lack of other job opportunities. Paid caregivers frequently face challenging work conditions. When seeking a caregiver for a senior, motivation of the caregiver should be considered when hiring.
本研究旨在确定老年人付费非亲属护理员的动机，深入了解他们的工作条件，并确定他们的老年客户的负面结果之间的任何联系。从多个地点（即老年人中心、购物中心、当地公园、老年人公寓大厅、护理员机构会议）招募了 98 名付费护理员（85 名女性和 13 名男性），他们完成了面对面的问卷调查和半结构化访谈。我们发现，60.7%的参与者选择成为护理员是因为他们喜欢与老年人在一起，而 31.7%的人无法获得其他工作，8.2%的人表示这是从事其他与健康相关职业的前提。护理员表示，工作中最具挑战性的条件是体力劳动（24.5%）、痴呆的行为和心理症状（24.5%）、老年人抑郁/情绪变化（18.4%）、与即将死亡的依恋（8.2%）、客户受伤（5.1%）、睡眠不足（4.1%）和与外界缺乏联系（3.1%）。报告工作中最好的部分是工资、灵活的工作时间和工作轻松的护理员，其客户骨折的可能性明显高于那些喜欢与老年人在一起的护理员（工作特征，62.5%比老年人享受，25.6%；p<0.004）。我们的结论是，在从事职业时，付费护理员通常受到对老年人的热爱和缺乏其他工作机会的激励。付费护理员经常面临具有挑战性的工作条件。在为老年人寻找护理员时，应在雇用护理员时考虑护理员的动机。
