ABSTRACT
Evidence ofâ¯effectiveâ¯self-care strategies to support Home Care Aides' (HCAs) mental health is limited. This study compares the feasibility of implementing one of two non-clinical, evidence-based stress-reduction treatments: mindful awareness practices (MAPs) meditation versus Korean-style Tai Chi. Program effectiveness was assessedâ¯on a range of self-reported health and mental health quantitative outcomesâ¯at three time-points. Both groups showed statistically significant improvements in depression, insomnia, and negative affect duringâ¯the six weeks (all p. <0.05), but only the MAPs group demonstrated a sustained improvement in negativeâ¯affectâ¯at three-monthâ¯follow-up (p. <0.05).â¯At three-month follow-up, 55% of Tai Chi participants continued practicing learned techniques, compared to 75% of MAPs participants.â¯MAPsâ¯wereâ¯found to be more practical and amenable to integration in daily life compared to Tai Chi. Showing positive results on both feasibility and effectiveness assessment, MAPs were chosen over Tai Chi to be scaled as a benefit to HCAs.
Subject(s)
Home Health Aides , Meditation , Mindfulness , Tai Ji , Humans , Tai Ji/psychology , Feasibility Studies , Mindfulness/methodsABSTRACT
Attracting and retaining a stable and motivated home care workforce has become a top policy priority. We surveyed 402 former home care workers in Washington State. We compared these "leavers" to current home care workers recently surveyed. Those who left the profession were more highly educated, had higher household income, and were more likely to be White. Those newly employed have better benefits, wages, hours, and career mobility than in their home care jobs. The low status and poor pay of home care workers may result in the inability of the profession to retain those who face better prospects.