“Squeezed like a lemon”: A participatory approach on the effects of innovation on the well-being of homecare workers in Belgium
(2021) Health and Social Care in the Community — (2021)
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- Abstract
- Introduction: Innovative programs that emerge in response to the rapidly changing care needs of older adults provide the opportunity to study transformations in working and employment conditions within the homecare sector. This study’s aim is to understand how innovations introduced in the homecare sector impacted the well-being of front-line workers providing non-medical domestic work for older adults who wish to age in place. Methods: Our study is based on a participatory approach involving homecare workers in two innovations in Wallonia (Belgium) that relate to flexible working hours, workers training, and technological equipment. We carried out a literature review, six semi-structured individual interviews with managers, and eight workshops based on the "Group Analysis Method" involving 9 to 12 homecare workers. Findings: The results revealed that the innovations deteriorated working conditions,intensified emergence of occupational psychosocial risk factors, and impacted work-life balance. Discussion: Tensions emerged and caused a negative impact on the well-being of workers and quality of care relationship with the beneficiaries and a weakening of the viability of the services. Workers proposed some avenues to improve and regulate these tensions.
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Citations
Bensliman, R., Casini, A., & Mahieu, C. (2021). “Squeezed like a lemon”: A participatory approach on the effects of innovation on the well-being of homecare workers in Belgium. Health and Social Care in the Community. Published. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13506 (Original work published 2021)