Abstract
This study explores the process of turning elder care into a profession, by giving a voice to different professionals who took part in developing and implementing a new Israeli training program for community care workers. The program attempts to offer a response to the shortage of paid long-term carers for older adults by turning community elder care into a profession. Interviews with graduates, trainees who dropped out of the program, developers, employers and supervisors from three regions of the training program were conducted. Analysis explored attempts to transition community care from an occupation to a profession. The community care worker’s role and its uniqueness in comparison to the traditional paid long-term care worker are discussed. The difficulties that stem from the ambiguity of the definition of this new occupation are described.
Highlights
Most elder care workers are untrained and underpaid [1]
We examine the development and implementation of a new Israeli training program for community care workers of older adults
The first theme identified the need to establish the role of the community care worker as a profession; this theme comprised two sub-themes: a lack of differentiation between the work of a paid care worker and the work of a community care worker; and the need for marketing the role of the community care worker
Summary
Most elder care workers are untrained and underpaid [1]. The lack of benefits, such as health insurance and retirement plans further exacerbates paid long-term carers’ low economic position [2].recruiting and maintaining stable and sufficient paid long-term carers has become a critical long-term concern worldwide [3]. In order to shed light on this social problem and consider possible ways to cope with it, there is a need to use a broader context of caring professions, such as nursing, remedial therapies and social work for illustrative purposes. This can allow us to learn from their experiences in establishing their disciplines as a profession. Establishing the paid care of older adults as a profession can potentially attract committed and skilled personnel and will diminish the current stigma towards this occupation
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