The Demographic and Employment Characteristics of Home Care Aides: A Comparison with Nursing Home Aides, Hospital Aides, and Other Workers

The results verify previous findings in the literature that home care workers tend to be older, less likely to be married, and have poorer educations than other types of aides.

Abstract

This article uses data from the 1987, 1988, and 1989 Current Population Surveys (CPS) to compare the characteristics of hospital, nursing home, and home care aides. The different types of aides were identified through cross-tabulations of the detailed industry and occupation codes available in the CPS. The results verify previous findings in the literature that home care workers tend to be older, less likely to be married, and have poorer educations than other types of aides. In addition, the three types of aides fall into a clear economic continuum with hospital aides tending to be the most affluent, followed by nursing home aides, and finally, by home care workers.