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Spring,
2008
Help Is on the Way for
Homecare Workers
Homecare study participants using
workshop
materials. Photo: LOHP.
LOHP, under the direction of Associate
Director Laura Stock, has just completed
the first phase of a five-year project to
address the health and safety needs of homecare workers.
Homecare workers in the U.S.
range from those employed by agencies,
to independent caregivers, to family members.
Training for them about caregiving
and workplace hazards is often informal
and non-regulated, if it occurs at all. This
workforce includes many non-English
speaking immigrant workers, so there
are challenges in communicating healthy
practices. Furthermore, workers in this
trade may be at higher risk of injury than
other workers, and the homecare industry
is growing, putting more workers at risk.
The LOHP project uses
community-based participatory research
methods to pilot test and evaluate interventions
for homecare workers employed
by the Alameda County Public Authority’s
In-Home Supportive Services unit.
An earlier pilot study, conducted by
LOHP with support from the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health (NIOSH), identified unique problems
that homecare workers face through
focus groups and interviews with workers
and consumers. (See earlier article.)
In that earlier study, both workers and consumers cited lifting, other difficult physical activities such
as housekeeping tasks, exposure to household
chemicals, and unsafe work environments
as key issues. Researchers found
that workers were unaware of simple assistive
devices that could help them, and
that often the consumers’ homes were not
well-equipped for patient care and homemaking
tasks.
Focus Groups and Interviews
The current project is using focus groups,
key informant interviews, and community
experts to develop a health and safety
checklist to identify workplace hazards
in housekeeping and caregiving tasks,
for example, as well as a resource guide
for homecare workers and their clients to
help reduce these risks. The focus groups
and interviews are conducted in three
languages—English, Spanish, and Cantonese.
To validate their pilot findings, Stock
organized stakeholder meetings with the
Service Employees International Union
(SEIU), NIOSH, and community groups
who work in immigrant, elderly, and
disabled communities to discuss and
identify key issues from their perspective. “This process will help us ensure that our
materials meet the needs of this diverse,
multilingual, multicultural population,”
says Stock.
Future Work
In the coming year, the group will put
together a team of what they call “community
health researchers” composed
of health care workers and consumers
representing each of the three language
groups to begin field testing the materials.
Researchers will also be developing strategies
based on social marketing principles
to help consumers and workers become
aware of the importance of caregiver
health and safety, motivate them to use
project materials, and help recognize that
they have the power and ability to make
changes in the home environment. Researchers
may use posters, photo novelas,
video or audio pieces, community events,
or peer mentor programs within the
union or other trusted community-based
organizations to facilitate change.
Partners on this project include NIOSH,
SEIU, the Alameda County Public Authority,
and local community organizers.
For more information, contact Laura Stock at LOHP, lstock@berkeley.edu.
Adapted from COEH newsletter, Bridges, December 2007
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