“Friend-ish”: Home Care Workers, “Social Labor” and Managing the Boundaries of the Carer Relationship.

Abstract:

We examine how changes in home care work, with greater emphasis on social
support, have led to corresponding changes in the forms of labor performed by
home care workers. Drawing on interviews with fifty older adults, we find in
addition to physical and emotional labor, workers may be increasingly
expected to engage in a form of labor we term “social labor,” in which they
actively manage the boundary between the professional services they provide
and the personal relationships that may develop. We find examples of such
expectations include (1) following the lead of clients who set out terms of
the relationship and degree of sociality, (2) managing the potential dual
role of “support worker” and “friend,” and (3) meeting social needs of
clients vulnerable to isolation. As Government acknowledges the value of
social support and companionship, greater attention is needed to this aspect
of care work, with implications for workers and clients.