Abstract:

Presented at the 32nd Annual Meeting of the American Geriatrics Society, Miami Beach, Florida, 16-18 Apr 1975. Foster home care for the elderly, as an alternative to living independently, living with relatives, or living in an institution, has been a neglected area of investigation, although such care is a nationwide phenomenon. An initial survey of licensed Family Home Care operators in the Louisville, Kentucky, area provides baseline data regarding the characteristics of providers of adult foster care & the recipients. Data were obtained from 183 persons who house & care for minimally impaired adults in their own homes. These persons provided information on 422 residents in the foster home setting, 69.5% of which were aged 65 or over. Care providers are described on the basis of age, sex, race, educational level, family size, & composition, previous employment, reasons for entering the business, & problems encountered. Similar demographic data concerning residents is supplemented by information regarding operator perceptions of resident's physical condition, care requirement, & outside contacts. Foster home care for the aged can furnish many advantages if the resident is properly placed & supportive services are available. This form of care deserves much greater emphasis in future research on the provision of services for the elderly.