Paying family members to provide home care: an evaluation of one program

Paying family members for caregiving has received mixed reviews, but most agree that elders tend to prefer community to institutional living. This study describes an evaluation of a program that paid family caregivers to provide home care to elders from the perspective of care receivers (n = 151), caregivers (n = 211), and case managers (n = 71). The care recipients were primarily older, low-income individuals who were assessed to be at medium to high risk with respect to psychosocial functioning. Results indicated that caregiver subsidies were primarily used to pay for basic necessities, but few caregivers would cease caregiving in the absence of subsidies. The vast majority of care receivers and caregivers were very satisfied with case management services, and 42% of the care receivers named their case manager when asked whom they would contact if they had a problem with their caregiver. Case managers stressed the importance of formal care providers making home visits and referrals to other resources in order to lessen isolation and prevent institutionalization.