Table 3.
Treatment Group Consumer Uses of the Allowance (Percent)
| Nonelderly Consumers | Elderly Consumers | Children | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | Florida | New Jersey | Arkansas | Florida | New Jersey | Florida | |
| Hiring workers | |||||||
| Used allowance to pay worker, among consumers with allowance in month 8 | 87.7 | 63.4 | 86.7 | 88.6 | 78.9 | 85.8 | 62.4 |
| Percent of allowance used to pay workers among consumers with allowance in month 8 | 71.6 | 45.4 | 79.1 | 76.0 | 64.3 | 81.4 | 48.0 |
| Tasks performed by workers, among consumers who reported hiring during first 9 months* | |||||||
| Personal care | 95.2 | 88.6 | 97.3 | 94.7 | 95.8 | 98.1 | 97.9 |
| Housework and chores | 98.4 | 94.3 | 99.5 | 97.6 | 99.2 | 99.5 | 97.1 |
| Routine health care | 78.5 | 72.6 | 90.3 | 78.4 | 80.7 | 93.2 | 77.7 |
| Transportation | 75.8 | 76.4 | 70.8 | 51.0 | 46.2 | 63.3 | 70.6 |
| Among consumers who reported hiring during first 9 months, at least one worker: | |||||||
| Was consumer's parent | 13.9 | 36.3 | 22.2 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 28.6 |
| Was consumer's child | 28.9 | 1.9 | 24.3 | 52.9 | 47.1 | 59.4 | NA |
| Was unrelated to consumer | 30.5 | 33.8 | 33.0 | 24.3 | 37.8 | 22.2 | 41.6 |
| Lived with consumer | 28.9 | 49.7 | 41.6 | 43.7 | 48.7 | 45.4 | 40.8 |
| Attempts by consumers to hire during first 9 months | |||||||
| Hired a worker | 85.4 | 42.2 | 56.7 | 77.0 | 35.2 | 57.7 | 59.0 |
| Tried to hire, but did not | 9.5 | 21.2 | 30.3 | 11.5 | 22.2 | 19.8 | 14.7 |
| Did not try | 5.1 | 36.6 | 13.1 | 11.5 | 42.6 | 22.5 | 26.3 |
| Among consumers who reported hiring during first 9 months, found hiring hard | 20.7 | 38.7 | 30.9 | 19.1 | 35.3 | 27.0 | 46.0 |
| Other purchases in month 8† | |||||||
| Personal care supplies | 51.8 | 14.5 | 2.5 | 47.4 | 5.4 | 0.0 | 23.8 |
| Cash for incidentals | 38.6 | 31.9 | 55.6 | 35.5 | 59.0 | 47.2 | 40.2 |
| Community services | 18.6 | 31.5 | 2.9 | 13.5 | 3.0 | 2.2 | 10.0 |
| Equipment | 8.2 | 2.6 | 10.9 | 2.6 | 1.2 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Number of consumers with bookkeeper data for month 8 | 220 | 235 | 239 | 498 | 166 | 267 | 311 |
| Number of consumers responding to 9-month survey | 243 | 399 | 345 | 642 | 373 | 402 | 441 |
Note: In Arkansas and New Jersey elderly adults are age 65 or older; in Florida they are age 60 or older.
Personal care includes bathing, transfer from bed, eating, and using the toilet. Housework and chores include light housework, yard work, meal preparation, shopping, and, for children, help with homework. Routine health care includes taking medications, checking vital signs, and doing exercises. Transportation includes trips for medical and nonmedical reasons. Consumers reported that workers conducted these tasks; however, workers also provided substantial amounts of care for which they were not paid. The survey did not distinguish between paid and unpaid tasks.
Personal care supplies include incontinence products, ostomy supplies, and feeding equipment. Arkansas and New Jersey limited cash for incidentals to 10 percent of total allowance; Florida limited it to 20 percent. Community services include day care, day programs, medical and nonmedical transportation, home-delivered meals, prepared food from commercial vendors, congregate meals, grocery delivery, and laundry services. Equipment includes that to assist with mobility, transfer, bathing, communication, personal safety, meal preparation, or housekeeping.
Source: Measures during month 8 come from records kept by program bookkeepers; measures during first 9 months after enrollment come from follow-up telephone survey responses.