How older adults with multimorbidity manage their own care within a formal care coordination program?

• Published in: Geriatric nursing (New York) 2019-01, Vol.40 (1), p.56-62
• Main Authors: Scholz Mellum, Jean, Martsolf, Donna S., Glazer, Greer, Tobias, Barbara, Martsolf, Grant
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Care coordination; Continuity of Patient Care; Disease Management; Grit; Humans; Multimorbidity; Nursing; Older adults; Qualitative Research; Self Care; Self-management
• ISSN: 0197-4572; 1528-3984
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2018.06.006

•Self-management education is a priority for care coordination programs.•Older adults manage their health and healthcare by living with limits and living with grit.•Daughters frequently provide support for their parents with multimorbidity yet sons also provide support.•Older adults with multimorbidity want to stay in their own homes.•Being in control of their own health is a priority for older adults with multimorbidity. As the number of older adults with multimorbidity increases, care coordination programs are being designed to streamline the complex care older adults receive from multiple providers by improving health and reducing unnecessary costs. Well-coordinated care requires actions by both patients and providers. Yet little attention is paid to the what older adults do to manage their own care alongside a formal Care Coordination Program (CCP). This paper presents a qualitative descriptive study that explored what actions older adults took on their own to manage their care. Findings from this study identified that there were two actions older adults took to manage their care; they lived within their limits and they lived with grit. This study suggests that by recognizing what older adults do to self-manage their care within the context of a CCP, nurses can build on older adults’ actions and provide person-centered strategies for care coordination.