Live-In Versus Live-Out Home Care in Israel: Satisfaction With Services and Caregivers' Outcomes.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The present study provides a preliminary examination of the relationship between the type of home care services (live-in vs. live-out; i.e., round the clock vs. several hours per week), the caregiver's satisfaction with services, and the caregiver's burden, distress, well-being, and subjective health status within the conceptual framework of caregiving outcomes proposed by Yates and colleagues (Yates, M. E., Tennstedt, S., & Chang, B. H. [1999]. Contributors to and mediators of psychological well-being for informal caregivers. Journal of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 54, P12 -P22. doi:10.1093/geronb/54B.1.P12).

DESIGN AND METHODS

A random stratified sample of family caregivers of older adults more than the age of 70 who receive live-in (442) or live-out (244) home care services through the financial assistance of the National Insurance institute of Israel was selected. A path analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

Satisfaction with services was higher among caregivers under the live-in home care arrangement and positively related to well-being. Among caregivers, live-in home care was directly associated with higher levels of subjective health and indirectly associated with better well-being via satisfaction with services.

IMPLICATIONS

The present study emphasizes the potential benefits of live-in home care services for caregivers of older adults who suffer from high levels of impairment and the importance of assessing satisfaction with services as a predictor of caregivers' outcomes.