Exploring Organizational Commitment in the Home Care Industry

Abstract

Home health aides, the largest group of workers in one of the fastest growing industries in the United States, help people who might otherwise have to live in institutional settings to remain at home. Aides assist the elderly or people with disabilities with bathing, dressing, getting to appointments, or taking medications. Demand for these workers exceeds the supply. The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes home health aide jobs as physically and emotionally demanding with high rates of injury, illness, and exposure to violent behaviors, infection, and communicable diseases. Compensation for this occupation is poverty-level and turnover is high. Conditions of the job are a problem for not only the workers, but also for their employers, and for those needing care. As the gap between the number of home care workers and those needing care continues to grow, worker shortages are reaching crisis levels. Understanding how these caregivers view their jobs will add to knowledge needed to address the shortages. I...