title: Training unemployed women for adult day care in Izmir, Turkey: a program evaluation.
abstract: The proportion of older people in Turkey is increasing steadily with a subsequent growth of long-term care (LTC) needs. There is a scarcity of formal care provisions for residential and particularly nonresidential settings. Thus, formal caregiving is not meeting LTC needs nor attracting workers as a labor option. The authors examine the hypothesis that LTC may offer work opportunities for women unfamiliar with caregiving as an occupation, and also examine the need and acceptance of different types of LTC beyond residential care. The authors evaluate an innovative project introducing these two elements to 76 women in İzmir, Turkey, using an analysis framework that incorporates factors related to applications and progression; management assessment; trainees' self-assessment reflecting on their views on aging; and older people's perception of the experience and its impact on their well-being. Trainees reported a major positive shift in their attitudes toward working in LTC and toward the aging process. Users reported discovering a new dimension to care, which directly affected their quality of life. Overall, this community-based initiative appeared effective in enhancing the awareness of the concept of adult day centers providing a social model of care, and appears promising in addressing the growing need for formal LTC in Turkey.
authors.affiliation: a School of Social Science and Public Policy , King's College London , London , UK.
authors.forename: Shereen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hussein
authors.forename: Sema
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oğlak
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003631:Day Care, Medical; D005260:Female; D005853:Geriatrics / Q000193:education*; D006291:Health Policy; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015397:Program Evaluation; D014421:Turkey; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: Turkey; adult day care; labor market activation; long-term care; older people; program evaluation; unemployment