Older people's experience of utilisation and administration of medicines in a health- and social
care context
Sammanfattning
Background
People living at home who lack ability to manage their medicine are entitled to assistance to improve
adherence provided by a home care assistant employed by social care.
Aim:
The aim was to describe how older people with chronic diseases, living at home, experience the use
and assistance of administration of medicines in the context of social care.
Design:
A qualitative descriptive study.
Methods:
Ten participants (age 65+) living at home were interviewed in the participants' own homes. Latent
content analysis was used.
Findings:
The assistance eases daily life with regard to practical matters and increases adherence to a
medicine regimen. There were mixed feelings about being dependent on assistance; it interferes with
self-sufficiency at a time of health transition. Participants were balancing empowerment and a
dubious perception of the home care assistants' knowledge of medicine and safety. Physicians' and
district nurses' professional knowledge was a safety guarantee for the medicine process.
Conclusions:
Assistance eases daily life and medicine regimen adherence. Dependence on assistance may affect
self-sufficiency. Perceived safety varied relating to home care assistants' knowledge of medicine.
Relevance to Clinical Practice:
A well-functioning medicine assistance is crucial to enable older people to remain at home. A
person-centred approach to health- and social care delivery is efficient and improve outcome for the
recipient of care.