"Then They Trust You …": Managing Ergonomics in Home Care.

The home care workforce, already at 2.7 million caregivers, will become the nation's fastest growing occupation by 2024 as the senior boom generation accelerates the demand for in home services to meet its long-term care needs. The physically challenging work of assisting clients with intimate, essential acts of daily living places home care workers (HCWs) at risk for musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs); yet, HCWs typically receive little formal job training and may lack appropriate assistive devices.

Personal care assistants and blood exposure in the home environment: focus group findings.

Background: Exposure to blood and bodily fluids continues to be an important and life-threatening risk facing health care workers employed in traditional health care workplaces. Little is known about how blood exposure risk impacts personal care assistants (PCAs) who provide care in homes.

Objectives: A National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-funded community based participatory research project between Service Employees International Union (SEIU), PCAs, and university-based researchers was conducted to increase the understanding of the risk of exposure to blood among PCAs.