1. Medication Compliance in Elderly Alzheimer’s Latinos
when the Caregiver is a Family Member
Yolanda Gonzalez, MS Dr. Elizabeth Hartman, PhD, RN
DePaul University, Chicago, IL.
INTRODUCTION
NURSING IMPLICATIONS
Education should be a priority with emphasizes on family-centered care for Alzheimer’s Latino patients.
An understanding of the Latino culture’s values and beliefs is essential and should be part of the assessment especially when identifying elderly Alzheimer’s Latinos at risk for non-compliance with medications.
In order to promote medication compliance, culture-based approaches must focus on the family caregiver’s perspective of the disease and their burden.
Alzheimer’s Disease is a brain disorder with the progressive deterioration of memory, behavior, and thinking.
17.6 percent of the U.S. population is Latino, making it the largest minority group.
Latinos are 1.5 more likely to develop Alzheimer’s than Whites.
Pharmacological interventions can lessen symptoms of Alzheimer’s. In the Latino culture there is an expectation of a family member to undertake complete healthcare needs of their elderly relatives. Medication compliance, therefore, not only becomes responsibility of the patient, but of the caregivers as well.
As the disease progresses, the more involved the caregiver needs to be. Although, there is extensive research on the affects of the caregiving role, there is minimal research on how the Latino culture influences the caregiving role for the family member of the elderly Alzheimer Latino.
By addressing the needs of family caregivers, this will aid in determining how their role impacts medication compliance in the treatment of the elderly Alzheimer’s Latino.
METHODS
CONCLUSION
Three databases were used for this literature review: PubMed, CINAHL, and PsychInfo.
Two searches were conducted using the three databases due to no current research found involving Latinos and medication compliance.
In the first search, the key terms used included Alzheimer Disease, Latino, and caregiving. In the second search, the key terms were Alzheimer’s Disease, medication adherence, and caregivers.
Leininger’s Culture Care Theory was the conceptual framework used to describe the importance of culture competency in providing healthcare.
Increase in knowledge of Alzheimer’s Disease increases likelihood of getting family support in caring for the elderly Alzheimer’s Latino. This in turn, reduces the amount of caregiving time by the primary family caregiver.
Addressing the family member’s caregiving needs reduces the stress brought upon having to care for the elderly Alzheimer’s member.; therefore, there is greater compliance in medication treatment.
Further research is needed to determine cultural influences among different Latino subgroup caregivers.
RESULTS
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
Family Caregiver Needs
Amount of time the family caregiver spends with the elderly Alzheimer’s Latino needs to be reduced
Family support
Knowledge of Alzheimer’s
Medication Compliance Factors
Lack of medication information
Time spent administrating medication
What are the needs Latino caregivers indicate when caring for an elderly Alzheimer’s family member?
How do current nursing interventions aim to address the cultural needs of the Latino family caregivers?
How are the strains of the caregiver affecting medication compliance of their family member with Alzheimer’s?