title: Work schedules of home care workers for the elderly in France: fragmented work, deteriorating quality of care, detrimental health impact.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Like most Western countries, France is faced with rapid changes in how social welfare and care regimes are being organized. Home care for the elderly has been closely affected by such trends. This study will analyse the consequences of such developments on work schedules and working conditions of female home care workers.
  
  
  METHODS
  We carried out 55 biographical interviews with experienced female home care workers employed by six associations as well as 13 interviews with representatives of those associations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The findings reveal an increase in time pressure linked to a reduction in care time per care recipient as well as the fragmentation of care work. These conditions negatively affect the provision of quality care as well as care workers' physical and mental well-being and blur the distinction between workers' professional and home lives.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The negative impacts observed call for a change in perspective in relation to how home care work for fragile, elderly people is organized. Our research bears out the necessity of drawing on the experience of the most highly-qualified care workers and entrusting them with the autonomy needed to manage the care time allotted to each care recipient.
authors: Laboratoire Techniques, Territoires et Sociétés, Unité mixte de recherche CNRS 8134, University of Paris-Est, Paris, France. doniol-shaw@enpc.fr
authors: Ghislaine
authors: G
authors: Doniol-Shaw
authors: Emmanuelle
authors: E
authors: Lada
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance; D000078329:Workforce