Objective In this study, we clarified the characteristics of tasks performed by older assistant care workers at geriatric health services facilities, by individual characteristics and work status. Additionally, we examined the relationship between the tasks and benefits of working for older assistant care workers.Methods A self-administered questionnaire survey was provided to 2,571 elderly care facilities employing assistant care workers aged ≥60. A total of 1,606 responses were obtained, and personal characteristics, working conditions, tasks, and benefits of working for older care assistants were surveyed. Thirteen work tasks were established and categorized into four broad categories; user transfer assistance, facility maintenance, meal-related assistance, and managing and talking to users. Seven benefits of working as care assistants were "contribution to society," "social connection," "purpose of life," "income," "learning from caregiving," "health maintenance and promotion," and "time utilization."Results Most of the respondents were women and relatively young workers. Among tasks, men, younger workers, and those working >5 days weekly represented a high proportion of those performing user transfer assistance tasks. Tasks on managing and talking to users were not correlated with sex, age, and number of days worked, but those with more flexible work patterns were more likely to be engaged in such tasks. Logistic regression analysis showed that user transfer assistance was correlated with benefits of working, such as "contribution to society," "social connection," and "learning from caregiving." Moreover, facility maintenance was associated with "income," "health maintenance and promotion," and "time utilization" and meal-related assistance was associated with "learning from caregiving." Managing and talking to users was associated with "contribution of society," "social connection," "purpose of life," and "learning from caregiving."Conclusion The tasks of the workers were associated with individual characteristics and work status. The perception of benefits between the working tasks that involved frequent contact with users and those that did not were considerably different.
Keywords: geriatric health services facility; older assistant care workers; tasks in elderly care facilities; work benefits.