Every day for the next twenty years, more than 10,000 people in the
United States will turn 65. With life expectancies increasing as well,
many of these Americans will eventually require round-the-clock
attention--and we have only begun to prepare for the challenge of caring
for them. In Labors of Love, Jason Rodriquez examines the world of the
fast-growing elder care industry, providing a nuanced and balanced
portrait of the day-to-day lives of the people and organizations that
devote their time to supporting America's aging population.
Through extensive ethnographic research, interviews with staff and
management, and analysis of internal documents, Rodriquez explores the
inner workings of two different nursing homes--one for-profit and one
non-profit--to understand the connections among the administrative
regulations, the professional requirements, and the type of care
provided in both types of facilities. He reveals a variety of challenges
that nursing home care workers face day to day: battles over the budget;
the administrative hurdles of Medicaid and Medicare; the employees'
struggle to balance financial stability and compassionate care for
residents. Yet, Rodriquez argues, nursing home workers give meaning and
dignity to their work by building emotional attachments to residents and
their care. An unprecedented study, Labors of Love brings new insight
into the underlying structures of a crucial and expanding sector of the
American health care system.
