Understanding Influential Factors in Turnover Within the Home Care Workforce

By 2060, over 98 million Americans will be 65 years of age and older. As the population ages, there is a need to ensure sufficient resources are available to accommodate potential physical and cognitive limitations. The home care workforce is important in supporting older adults, and retaining the workforce is crucial to provide needed care. This workforce is primarily female, Caucasian, and has lower income and education levels. However, those demographics are changing. The purpose of this study was to understand factors influencing turnover within the non-medical home care industry. A survey was developed to examine factors that might influence turnover. Factors were based on prior research from the long-term care and home care industries. We surveyed workers who had resigned from a non-medical home care company and who consented to participate during two study periods. In both study periods “personal reasons” was the most common factor for leaving employment. There was a relationship between tenure and reason for leaving. Those that left after a year or more cited personal reasons more frequently than other factors. Understanding the needs of individuals at different points in time (ie, new employees compared to longer-term employees) may facilitate the design of retention strategies and reduce turnover.