Abstract
Background A comparison of the management of medicines by the older-aged living in freehold (fully owned) and rental homes in retirement villages has suggested that the older-aged living in rental, but not freehold, retirement villages may require help to manage their medicines. Objective The objective of this study was to investigate the management of medicines by the older-aged living independently in a leasehold (partly owned) home in retirement village to determine whether they also need help in managing their medicines. Method Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 older-aged residents living in a leasehold retirement village. Main outcome measure The main outcome measure was the perception of present and ongoing adherence. Results Amongst participants in the leasehold retirement village, with an average age of 82.9 years, the perceptions of present and ongoing adherence indicated that only 55 % of older-aged participants were adherent at the time of the study, and not likely to have problems with adherence within the next 6–12 months. Participants from the leasehold retirement village had a good understanding of 58 % of their illnesses. A mean of 9.8 medicines per person were prescribed. Cardiovascular medicines were the most commonly prescribed at 86 %. Conclusion The older-aged living in leasehold retirement villages may require extra assistance/resources to manage their medicines.
References
World Health Organization [Internet]. Adherence to long-term therapies: evidence for action. Accessed 1 Mar 2013. Available from http://www.who.int/chp/knowledge/publications/adherence_report/en/.
Doggrell SA. Adherence to medicines in the older-aged with chronic conditions: does intervention by an allied health professional help? Drugs Aging. 2010;27:239–54.
Biggs S, Bernard M, Kinston P, Nettleton H. Lifestyles of belief: narrative and culture in a retirement community. Ageing Soc. 2000;20:649–72.
Kingston P, Bernard M, Biggs S, Nettleton H. Assessing the health impact of age-specific housing. Health Soc Care Community. 2001;9:228–34.
Doggrell SA, Kairuz T. Medicines use by the older-aged living independently in different types of retirement villages. J Pharm Pract Res. 2012;42:208–12.
Australian Government. Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. SES scores for Census Collection Districts (CDs) 2009–2012-based on the SES index for General Recurrent Grants funding. Accessed 1 Mar 2013. https://ssp.deewr.gov.au/ssp/help/html/ses/funding_09_12/dimension_scores.html.
Vik SA, Maxwell CJ, Hogan DB. Measurement, correlates, and health outcomes of medication adherence among seniors. Ann Pharmacother. 2004;38:303–12.
DiMatteo MR. Variations in patients’ adherence to medicinal recommendations: a quantitative review of 50 years of research. Med Care. 2004;42:200–9.
Lee CY, George J, Elliot RA, Stewart K. Prevalence of medication-related risk factors among retirement village residents: a cross-sectional survey. Age Ageing. 2010;39:581–7.
Llorca PM. Partial compliance in schizophrenic and the impact on patient outcomes. Psychiatry Res. 2008;161:235–47.
Australian Government. Department of Health and Ageing, National Diabetes Services Scheme. Accessed 1 Mar 2013. http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/health-pbs-healthpro-supply-ndss.htm.
Australian Government. Department of Human Services. Midicare. Home Medicines Review (HMR). Accessed 1 Mar 2013. http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/provider/pbs/fourth-agreement/hmr.jsp.
Acknowledgments
I thank Michelle Maugham BSc (Hons) for helping with the interviews.
Funding
This research was supported by the Small Grants Scheme, Discipline of Medical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology. The author’s work was independent of the funder.
Conflicts of interest
The author has no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Doggrell, S.A. Inadequate management of medicines by the older-aged living in a retirement village. Int J Clin Pharm 35, 546–549 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-013-9786-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-013-9786-8