Self-direction in home care for older people: a consumer's perspective

Interest among elder home care consumers in playing a stronger role in planning and supervising their own care was examined. Elder home care consumers were surveyed to determine their willingness to assume more responsibility for their home care such as in the hiring, paying, scheduling, supervising and/or firing of their home care worker. Telephone interviews were conducted of 883 home care clients in the Massachusetts Home Care Program which is administered through 27 local, private, non-profit Home Care Corporations (HCC) and which currently serves 33,000 clients. Respondents reported high levels of satisfaction with their home care services and home care worker. However, a substantial minority of respondents reported a willingness to assume more responsibility for their own home care services. A quarter to a third of the respondents indicated that they could take greater responsibility for supervising a home care worker and needed less assistance from a case manager. Multiple regression analyses revealed that prior experience in directing an in-home worker, greater length of receipt of home care services, greater current involvement in directing a home care worker, and lower levels of satisfaction with home care services were associated with a willingness to assume responsibility for directing a home care worker. Pilot projects are needed that develop and test options for older people with disabilities to exercise greater control over their own personal assistance.