title: Figuring out whether they can be trusted: older widows' intentions relative to hired non-professional home-care helpers.
abstract: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experience of older women relative to trusting hired non-professional home-care helpers. Open-ended interviews were done about the home-care experience with 25 women over three years, and 14 women (age 80-93) shared data about hiring and trusting helpers. The women perceived risks to personal safety that adversely influenced willingness to seek new helpers. After hiring a helper, the women were still trying to discern whether the helper could be trusted. Primary-care providers should enable older women to recognize and reduce the risk of having helpers and to monitor helpers' behavior, as well as assessing the psychosocial status of women who have such helpers.
authors.affiliation: University of Missouri, Sinclair School of Nursing, Columbia, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Eileen J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lasiter
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Poston
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly / Q000523:psychology; D018576:Home Health Aides; D006704:Homemaker Services; D006801:Humans; D033262:Narration; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D035502:Trust; D017805:Widowhood / Q000523:psychology*