They were once like us: Learning from home care workers who care for the elderly

The elderly are increasingly turning to home care services in order to rema in at home. Six outstanding home care workers were interviewed about the qu alities needed to work with the elderly and the importance of establishing caring relationships with their elderly clients. Patience, compassion and r espect were considered essential to forming successful relationships. The b est home care workers derived greatest satisfaction from seeing clients imp rove as a result of their efforts and learning from the life experiences of their clients. Low wages, lack of career ladder and inadequate training ar e barriers to meeting the increasing demands for a workforce able to provid e quality home care to the aged. Implications for policy and practice are i ncluded.