THE DEMOGRAPHIC AND EMPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF HOME CARE AIDES - ACOMPARISON WITH NURSING-HOME AIDES, HOSPITAL AIDES, AND OTHER WORKERS

This article uses data from the 1987, 1988, and 1989 Current Populatio n Surveys (CPS) to compare the characteristics of hospital, nursing ho me, and home care aides. The different types of aides were identified through cross-tabulations of the detailed industry and occupation code s available in the CPS. The results verify previous findings in the li terature that home care workers tend to be older, less likely to be ma rried, and have poorer educations than other types of aides. In additi on, the three types of aides fall into a clear economic continuum with hospital aides tending to be the most affluent, followed by nursing h ome aides, and finally, by home care workers.