Paper
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Minority Elders Managing Day-to-Day Life With Multiple Chronic Illnesses
Susan J. Loeb, PhD, RN, Department of Nursing, Department of Nursing, University of Delaware, Newark, DE, USA
| Learning Objective #1: Relate key coping strategies employed by minority elders to manage their comorbidities |
| Learning Objective #2: Describe the impact of the complex interplay of multiple chronic health conditions on the daily lives of minority older adults |
Purpose: Determine how minority elders manage daily life with co-morbidity. Specific Aims: To identify strategies used by minority elders to minimize the consequences of co-morbidity. 2) To validate the “Staying in Control” model of coping with multiple chronic conditions with ethnically diverse elders. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using focus group methodology to explore the strategies commonly employed by community-dwelling minority elders (n=32) to manage their multiple chronic health conditions. A screening survey was administered to 100 individuals attending senior centers to establish a sampling frame for the focus groups. Inclusion criteria for focus groups were: > 54; ethnic/racial minority; community dwelling; and have > 1 chronic condition. Five focus groups were conducted and saturation was achieved. The moderator used a semi-structured discussion guide to promote consistency across groups. Sessions were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. A co-moderator took field notes. Data were analyzed using content and thematic analyses. Results and Conclusions: Key strategies identified were relying on God/religion, helping others, exercising, medicating, dietary patterns, family support, and seeking information. In addition, study findings related to both the discrete coping strategies employed and more global management of day-to-day life were supportive of the “Staying in Control” model. Implications for Advancing the Nursing Research Agenda or Improving Quality of Care: This study expands nurses’ understanding of how minority elders deal with co-morbidity in everyday life and manage the complexities of their co-morbidities. Contributions to the development of the “Staying in Control” model were also achieved. Finally, this study will be a basis for the development of an intervention study to facilitate older adults in effective management of their multiple health conditions.
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Sigma Theta Tau International
July 22-24, 2004