2009 Volume 13 Issue 1 Pages 46-53
The aim of this study is to clarify the framework of sentiments of home-care workers regarding their care for the mentally handicapped. M-GTA was employed as the method for research and ten full-time home-care workers participated in the study. Each home-care worker was interviewed separately and the data was analyzed. Results showed that home-care workers felt they “didn’t understand the illness.” The home-care workers had been providing home care for mentally handicapped patients based on their past home-care experience which was subject to nursing-care insurance and by “comparison to home care for the elderly.” Their sentiments regarding their support were divided into two categories namely “support which they felt satisfied with” and “support which they felt was insufficient.”
The followings were raised as future issues for study: ① the need for education and training of homecare workers to develop their skills: ②there is a demand for a system in which support, such as supervision by a third party, is provided to home-care workers: ③ building a support system for home-care workers: ④ strengthening mutual support among co-workers: ⑤ establishing a good relationship between home-care workers and system care recipients and implementing support based on mutual consent between homecare workers and care recipients.
