title: Older people's experience of utilisation and administration of medicines in a health- and social care context.
abstract: 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.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  METHODS
  A qualitative descriptive study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten participants (age 65+) living at home were interviewed in the participants' own homes. Latent content analysis was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors: Sophiahemmet University and Aging Research Center (ARC), Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors: Åsa Gransjön
authors: ÅG
authors: Craftman
authors: Sophiahemmet University and Division of Nursing, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society (NVS), Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors: Margareta
authors: M
authors: Westerbotn
authors: Aging Research Center (ARC), The Swedish Red Cross University College, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors: Eva
authors: E
authors: von Strauss
authors: Sophiahemmet University and Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors: Pernilla
authors: P
authors: Hillerås
authors: School of Health, Care, and Social Welfare, Mälardalen University, Västerås, Sweden.
authors: Lena
authors: L
authors: Marmstål Hammar
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000451:nursing*; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018576:Home Health Aides / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055118:Medication Adherence / Q000523:psychology*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D013548:Sweden
keywords: assistance; medicine administration at home; medicine use; older people; social care