"You get three different hats on and try to figure it out:" home based care provision during a disaster

Home based care is a vital, and growing, part of the health care system that allows individuals to remain in their homes while still receiving health care. During a disaster, when normal health care systems are disrupted, home based care remains a vital source of support for older adults. The purpose of this paper is to qualitatively understand the barriers and facilitators of both patients and providers that influence the provision of home based care activities in two hurricane affected communities.

Using qualitative inquiry informed by the social ecological model, five focus groups were conducted with home based care providers (n = 25) in two settings affected by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Harvey. An open-source database of home health agencies participating in Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services programs was used to identify participants. Data were manually coded and larger themes were generated from recurring ideas and concepts using an abductive analysis approach.

Twenty five participants were included in one of five focus groups. Of the 22 who responded to the demographic survey, 65 % were registered nurses, 20 % were Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN), and 15 % were other types of health care providers. 12 % of the sample was male and 88 % was female. Five themes were identified in the analysis: barriers to implementing preparedness plans, adaptability of home based care providers, disasters exacerbate inequalities, perceived unreliability of government and corporations, and the balance between caring for self and family and caring for patients.

This study provides qualitative evidence on the factors that influence home based care provision in disaster-affected communities, including the barriers and facilitators faced by both patients and providers in preparing for, responding to and recovering from a disaster. While home based care providers faced multiple challenges to providing care during and after a disaster, the importance of community supports and holistic models of care in the immediate period after the disaster were emphasized. We recommend greater inclusion of home health agencies in the community planning process. This study informs the growing body of evidence on the value of home based care in promoting safety and well-being for older adults during a disaster.