Hospital policies and nurses' attitudes in Israel towards paid carers' tasks during patient hospitalization.

Many hospitalized older patients are functionally dependent and, during their hospitalization, employ paid caregivers to perform various tasks. This study examined nurses' attitudes regarding the tasks these care workers should or should not be allowed to perform in providing care during hospitalization, and the factors underlying nurses' attitudes towards these paid carers. The study involved interviews of five key informants such as head nurses and medical directors in two general hospitals and surveys of 265 nurses in internal medicine and geriatric wards. Although no formal policies or guidelines existed with respect to the tasks that paid carers perform, most nurses believed that paid carers caregivers should be allowed to perform certain tasks except for those involving professional nursing. Hospital and nurses' characteristics were significant in explaining nurses' attitudes towards paid carers' involvement with older care recipients. The study results indicate a need for explicit policies and practice guidelines for paid carers of older patients during hospitalization.

Tasks performed by migrant live-in care workers during hospitalization of their older care recipients.

The goals of the study were to examine: (a) the tasks that migrant live-in care workers are expected to perform and actually perform during the hospitalization of their care recipients, and (b) the factors that explain the level of involvement by care workers in caring for hospitalized care recipients. A sample of 535 dyads of family caregivers and care workers of hospitalized care recipients in two general hospitals in Israel was interviewed. Results showed a high level of congruence between the care workers' and family caregivers' perceptions of the roles that the paid carers should perform. Paid carers' involvement in care provision varied by hospital and type of ward and was best explained by the hospital characteristics and congruence in the care workers' perceived roles. The extensive needs of hospitalized functionally disabled older adults necessitate explicit policies and guidelines regarding private care provided in hospital wards.