Factors Affecting Willingness of Direct Care Workers to Engage in Elderly Care

Abstract

Direct care workers are the main workforce in long-term care in Taiwan. However, few direct care workers desire to enter or stay in this field. This study aims to explore the factors influencing direct care workers’ elderly care willingness. A cross-sectional design was used in the present study. Stratified random sampling was utilized to select samples from a southern city in Taiwan. Overall, 207 participants completed the questionnaire, including providing demographic data and answering all questions on the Older People Scale and the Willingness Toward Elderly Care Scale. An independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analyses were used to examine the associations among the study variables. Direct care workers’ elderly care willingness was significantly influenced by junior high school (β = .023, p = .047), hourly wage (β = .148, p = .037), and appearance and physical attitude toward older adults (β = .302, p = .002). These factors explained 15.4% of elderly care willingness. In conclusion, it is critical to cultivate positive attitudes toward older adults and nurture the appropriate understanding of aging to avoid stereotypes and enhance the willingness of direct care workers to care for older adults. Furthermore, providing a more flexible schedule and additional opportunities to receive better compensation will increase the care willingness of direct care workers. It is suggested that the on-the-job training about caring for older people that aims to develop positive attitudes toward older adults and awareness of age stereotypes are required. These findings provide critical information for the retention and recruitment of the workforce to care for older adults.