'You Need Them to Know Your Ways': Service Users' Views About Valued Dimensions of Home Care

Dominant approaches to evaluating supportive home care tend to be 'top-down,' undertaken from the vantage points of funding bodies and professionals, rather than from the perspectives of service users. A longitudinal, qualitative study of women receiving home care in Ontario, Canada explored their accounts of what constitutes good and responsive care. Participants identified four dimensions of care that they particularly valued: Minimized exposure, being known, staying in charge, and being able to speak. The implications of their perspectives for home care practice, evaluation and organization are discussed.