Examining medication knowledge and behavior of older African-American adult day care clients

The purposes of this descriptive pilot study were to: 1) examine medication knowledge and behavior of older African-American adult day care clients; and, 2) describe how community health nurses working in adult day care centers can improve medication regimen compliance by utilizing the Rice Model of Dynamic Self-Determination. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 40 older African-Americans attending adult day care at two urban geriatric centers. Findings from this study suggested that the older African-Americans sampled needed assistance from adult children or other caregivers to follow their medication regimen as evidenced by not being able to open a pill bottle, or not having a system to take medications, having trouble swallowing their pills, and obtaining prescribed medications from the drug store. Further findings from this study also suggested that among these older African-American subjects that there was an enormous knowledge deficit regarding side effects of medications and usefulness of medications. In addition, the Rice Model was applied to a case study to illustrate how community heath nurses can improve medication regimen compliance for adult day care clients.