Caring in America: A comprehensive analysis of the nation's fastest-growing jobs: Home health and personal care aides. Seavey, Dorie, and Abby Marquand. December 2011. PHI.

This PHI report provides a thorough analysis of the home care and personal care industries in the U.S., as well as of the workers who provide both types of care. The authors detail the many difficulties facing workers in both fields, including uncompetitive wages with little to no benefits offered, inconsistent and often inadequate training requirements, high injury rates, and unpredictable hours. The report lists several recommendations to improve the quality of these jobs.

Empowering direct care workers: Lessons learned from THE GREEN HOUSE model. Bowers, Barbara, and Kim Nolet. 2011. Seniors Housing & Care Journal, Vol. 19, No. 1. Mather LifeWays/National Investment Center.

This study describes the concept of empowerment as it relates to direct-care workers employed in long-term care facilities using THE GREEN HOUSE model. The authors rely on interviews with Green House nurses, directors of nursing, and direct-care workers (known as Shahbazim in Green House facilities). The study shows that Shahbazim have many positive feelings toward their more-empowered roles in Green House facilities. However, it also demonstrates that there are definite challenges associated with greater empowerment.

No excuse for elder abuse. Nakhnikian, Elise. October 2011. Direct Care Alliance.

This policy brief analyzes the national issue of elder abuse committed by caregivers. The author points out that family caregivers most likely commit the majority of elder abuse in the U.S., while facility/institutional staff were responsible for a very small percentage (less than 5 percent). The brief suggests several ways to prevent elder abuse, including adequate wages and benefits for paid direct-care workers, as well as better training for both paid and unpaid caregivers.

Top management leadership style and quality of care in nursing homes. Castle, Nicholas G., and Frederic H. Decker. October 2011. Gerontologist, Vol. 51, No. 5. Gerontological Society of America.

This study documents the relationship between nursing home managers' leadership styles and the quality of care provided in their facilities. The authors identify four different leadership styles -- consensus managers, consultative autocrats, shareholder managers, and autocrats. The study found that the consensus management style, in which managers solicit input from their employees, had the strongest correlation to a high care-quality standard. Administrators and directors of nursing from nearly 4,000 nursing homes were surveyed.

Work autonomy of certified nursing assistants in long-term care facilities: Discrepant perceptions between nursing supervisors and certified nursing assistants. Liu, Li-Fan, Wei-Pei Liu, and Jong-Yi Wang. September 2011. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, Vol. 12, No. 7. Elsevier Inc..

This report presents the findings of a survey conducted in Taiwan. Researchers asked certified nursing assistants (CNAs) and their supervisors to evaluate the autonomy experienced by CNAs in their various roles (personal care, nursing care, etc.). The researchers found that there are some significant discrepancies between the perceptions of the two groups. The authors conclude that CNAs' job contents should be clearly regulated in order to strengthen their job identities and improve quality of care.

Reducing perceived barriers to nursing homes data entry in the Advancing Excellence campaign: The role of LANEs (Local Area Networks for Excellence). Bakerjian, Debra, et al.. September 2011. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, Vol. 12, No. 7. Elsevier Inc..

This report presents the findings of a telephone survey of 87 nursing homes involved in the national Advancing Excellence campaign, which aims to improve nursing home quality. Administrators were asked about the extent to which they are reporting and documenting various key indicators of nursing home quality, including resident satisfaction and consistent assignment rates. The survey determined that Local Area Networks for Excellence can play a significant role in helping nursing homes collect such information.

Stayers, leavers, and switchers among certified nursing assistants in nursing homes: A longitudinal investigation of turnover intent, staff retention, and turnover. Rosen, Jules, et al.. October 2011. Gerontologist, Vol. 51, No. 5. Gerontological Society of America.

This study presents the results of a longitudinal survey of 620 full-time CNAs working in Pennsylvania nursing homes. The survey found that 85.8 percent of CNAs remained in their jobs after one year, 8.4 percent switched to another facility, and 5.8 percent left the industry. Those who left their jobs were motivated primarily by low job satisfaction and a need for health insurance, the researchers found; wages were not a strong predictor of turnover.

Financial implications of the Green House model. Jenkens, Robert, et al.. 2011. Seniors Housing & Care Journal, Vol. 19, No. 1. Mather LifeWays/National Investment Center.

This report examines the long-term financial viability of nursing homes that adopt the Green House model of institutional culture change. Using data from several previously published studies, the authors determine that facilities that adapt the Green House model face similar costs to those that adopt comparable culture change models. The lead author of the report is the director of the Green House Project.

What makes migrant live-in home care workers in elder care be satisfied with their job?. Iecovich, Esther. October 2011. Gerontologist, Vol. 51, No. 5. Gerontological Society of America.

This study presents the findings of a survey administered to Philippine immigrants who serve as ''live in'' home care workers to elders in Israel. The survey found that greater job experience and formal training correlated positively with job satisfaction, as did the degree of autonomy and variety experienced on the job. The authors note that high job satisfaction has been linked to high retention rates and greater quality of care.