Sandra S. Butler

Why Do They Leave? Factors Associated With Job Termination Among Personal Assistant Workers in Home Care

Recruiting and retaining an adequate number of personal support workers in home care is both challenging and essential to allowing elders to age in place. A mixed-method, longitudinal study examined turnover in a sample of 261 personal support workers in Maine; 70 workers (26.8%) left their employment in the first year of the study. Logistic regression analysis indicated that younger age and lack of health insurance were significant predictors of turnover. Analysis of telephone interviews revealed three overarching themes related to termination: job not worthwhile, personal reasons, and burnout. Implications of study findings for gerontological social workers are outlined.

Factors related to substance use by pregnant, school-age adolescents

This study provides information on substance use among pregnant adolescents, and examines social influence, intrapersonal, and environmental factors associated with substance use during pregnancy in adolescence. The sample consists of premaritally pregnant adolescents (N = 241), who were interviewed as part of a longitudinal study of patterns of drug use among pregnant and parenting school-age adolescents. The findings indicate that, although the sample demonstrated a high rate of prepregnancy substance use, a significant drop in use occurred during pregnancy. Logistic regression analysis indicated that perceived harm of using substances while pregnant, best friends substance use, boyfriends substance use, and school status were related to substance use during pregnancy, even after controlling for the effects of prepregnancy substance use. The findings have implications for substance use prevention and intervention programs for pregnant and parenting adolescents.

Something Worth Fighting for: Higher Education for Women on Welfare

The passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA)r estricted access to postsecondary education for women on welfare. This article discusses the consequences of this aspect of PRWORAand the effect of higher education on women on welfare. The Parents as Scholars (PaS)Pr ogram of Maine—an innovative state program that allows women on welfare to attend college—is described, and data on the experiences of 222 Pas participants are presented. The participants reported increased selfesteem, enhanced opportunities, enriched lives, better relationships with their children, and excitement about their futures.

Determinants of Longer Job Tenure Among Home Care Aides What Makes Some Stay on the Job While Others Leave

An inadequate supply of direct care workers and a high turnover rate in the workforce has resulted in a “care gap” in our long-term care system. As people are increasingly choosing community-based care, retention of home care workers is particularly important. The mixed-method study described herein explored determinants of longer job tenure for home care aides (n = 261). Study participants were followed for 18 months, completing two mail surveys and one telephone interview each. Predictors of longer job tenure included older age, living rurally, lower physical function, higher wages, a greater sense of autonomy on the job, and less frequent feelings of personal accomplishment. Thematic analysis of telephone interviews revealed long-term stayers to be less concerned about low wages and inconsistent hours than those who left their jobs within a year; both groups of workers reported high levels of job satisfaction. Policy implications of study findings are discussed.

Older Women Caring for Older Women: The Rewards and Challenges of the Home Care Aide Job

As our population ages, the need for personal assistance services increases. Paid personal care is predominantly provided by women, often older women, and has been considered low-status, low-wage work. This article reports on a mixed-method, longitudinal study of 261 home care aides; study participants were 46 years old, on average. Predictors of termination included younger age and lack of health insurance. Study participants reported more rewarding than challenging aspects to the job, though low and inconsistent compensation often forced them to leave the work they loved. Implications of the study with regard to older women caring for older women are explored.

Listening to Middle-Aged Homeless Women Talk About Their Lives

Using a phenomenological research approach, the author interviewed 11 unattached middle-aged homeless women every few weeks over a six-month period. Four themes emerged from the stories the women told about their lives: relationships, resiliency, normalcy, and political awareness. These themes support the idea that middle-aged homeless women are similar to other middle-aged women in this society, al though their poverty and the shortage of low-income housing have made their lives more difficult.

Resilience in Attaining and Sustaining Sobriety Among Older Lesbians With Alcoholism

This phenomenological study illuminates coping among older lesbians with alcoholism. Twenty study participants were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling; each completed 3 interviews structured to gain a deeper understanding of participants’ lived experiences. This article focuses on the key situations and people that helped study participants obtain sobriety and stay sober. Five major themes emerged from the data: wake-up calls, impact of formal treatment, impact of 12-step recovery groups, consequences from other sources, and resiliency. Findings support the need for culturally sensitive approaches to practice with this subpopulation of older adults.

The Capability Approach and Women’s Economic Security: Access to Higher Education under Welfare Reform

In modern industrialized nations, the relationship between the two fundamental functions of higher education is both profound and inseparable: for the society, it maintains and transmits culture, values and norms from one generation to another; for the individual, it helps one overcome disadvantage and gain greater control of one’s life. All pathways point to its promise, prospect, and irrefutable importance. And, its importance for women is especially significant as they seek to achieve independence, from both men and the state: education provides them with means to a career, to an escape from patriarchal structures both within and outside the home, to economic, emotional, and familial well-being, and to decision-making over their lives. Education is “the prerequisite for improvement in women’s status” (Tinker 1990, p. 33), and the implications of its worth extend way beyond the immediacy of one’s participation in it.

Older Women Doing Home Care: Exploitation or Ideal Job?

The increased need for both personal assistance workers and meaningful employment opportunities for older workers results in growing numbers of older home care aides. This study examined lifetime financial security and perceived advantages of older age in this field through interviews with 31 older home care aides. Study participants experienced high levels of financial insecurity and perceived older workers as particularly well suited to the home care job. The consequences of this low-wage, low-status work are explored along with implications for social workers to advocate for improved conditions for these workers providing essential care to frail elders.

Women Still Taking Care: The Experiences of Older Home Care Workers

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