Assisted living community workers are among those whose input is being sought in a pilot study to more accurately define the job of a direct care worker.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is conducting a direct care worker pilot study in residential care communities, adult day service centers and nursing homes. Direct care workers will be invited to participate from a sample of providers in those settings.
The goal is to survey 300 direct care workers from the approximately 759,900 workers who provide care to 2.5 million individuals as certified nursing assistants, personal care aides, personal care assistants, medication technicians and aides, nursing assistants, home health aides and home care aides.
“We are inviting direct care workers to participate to ensure that this pilot and future direct care worker surveys more accurately portray their job to healthcare planners and policymakers,” a spokesperson for the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics told McKnight’s Senior Living.
The survey, part of the National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study, or NPALS, will cover a variety of topics, including demographics, training, employer benefits, job satisfaction and experiences as a direct care worker. The study involves completion of a 30-minute web or mail survey.
The pilot study, being conducted by the NCHS, launched recently with a sample of providers and will determine the feasibility of conducting a national survey in the future, according to the NCHS spokesperson. Findings will be shared later this year.
Anyone who would like to participate can call the DCW Pilot Study help desk at 866-214-2047.
