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Understanding Older Adults’ Experiences with Cannabis for Medicinal Purposes: A Mixed Methods Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2024

Sherry Dahlke Open the ORCID record for Sherry Dahlke [Opens in a new window] ,
Jeffrey I. Butler Open the ORCID record for Jeffrey I. Butler [Opens in a new window] ,
Madeline Toubiana Open the ORCID record for Madeline Toubiana [Opens in a new window] ,
Shovana Shrestha Open the ORCID record for Shovana Shrestha [Opens in a new window] ,
Kelly Baskerville Open the ORCID record for Kelly Baskerville [Opens in a new window] ,
Rashmi Devkota Open the ORCID record for Rashmi Devkota [Opens in a new window] ,
Kathleen F. Hunter Open the ORCID record for Kathleen F. Hunter [Opens in a new window] ,
Maya R. Kalogirou Open the ORCID record for Maya R. Kalogirou [Opens in a new window] ,
Joanna Law  and
Melissa Scheuerman
Sherry Dahlke*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 1C9, AB, Canada
Jeffrey I. Butler
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 1C9, AB, Canada
Madeline Toubiana
Affiliation:
Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa, Ottawa K1N 6N5, ON, Canada
Shovana Shrestha
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 1C9, AB, Canada
Kelly Baskerville
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 1C9, AB, Canada
Rashmi Devkota
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 1C9, AB, Canada
Kathleen F. Hunter
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 1C9, AB, Canada
Maya R. Kalogirou
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nursing, MacEwan University Edmonton T6G 1C9, AB, Canada
Joanna Law
Affiliation:
Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton T6G 1C9, AB, Canada
Melissa Scheuerman
Affiliation:
Avant Brands Inc., Canada
*
Corresponding author: La correspondance et les demandes de tirésàpart doivent être adressées à : / Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to: Sherry Dahlke, Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy 11405 - 87 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6G 1C9 ([email protected]).
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Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the perspectives of older medicinal cannabis consumers and those advising them on older Canadians’ experiences accessing cannabis and information about it, as well as how stigma may influence their experiences. A concurrent triangulation mixed methods design was used. The design was qualitatively driven and involved conducting semi-structured interviews with older adults and advisors and developing a survey for older adults. We used a Qualitative Descriptive approach for the analysis of qualitative data and descriptive statistics for quantitative survey data. Findings demonstrate that many older adults are accessing information about cannabis for medical purposes from retailers, either because they are reticent to talk to their healthcare professionals or were rebuffed when bringing up the subject. We recommend cannabis education be required for healthcare professionals working with older persons and that future research examines their perspectives on medicinal cannabis and older adults.

Résumé

Résumé

Cette étude visait à explorer les points de vue de consommateurs âgés de cannabis médicinal et de leurs conseillers sur l’accès de ces usagers au cannabis et à l’information à ce sujet, ainsi que sur les préjugés susceptibles d’influencer leurs expériences. La méthodologie de l’étude était basée sur l’utilisation de méthodes mixtes et la triangulation des résultats. Les méthodes qualitatives étaient privilégiées et comprenaient des entretiens semi-structurés avec des personnes âgées et leurs conseillers, ainsi que l’élaboration d’un sondage destiné aux personnes âgées. Nous avons utilisé une méthode qualitative descriptive pour l’analyse des données qualitatives et une méthode statistique descriptive pour les données quantitatives du sondage. Les résultats montrent que de nombreuses personnes âgées s’adressent à des détaillants pour obtenir de l’information au sujet du cannabis à des fins médicales, soit parce qu’elles sont réticentes à en parler à leurs professionnels de la santé, soit parce qu’elles ont été rabrouées quand elles ont abordé le sujet. Nous recommandons de rendre obligatoire la formation sur le cannabis pour les professionnels de la santé qui exercent auprès de personnes âgées, et de mener des études pour examiner les points de vue de ces professionnels sur le cannabis médicinal et les personnes âgées.

Keywords

cannabisolder peoplestigmahealthcare professionalsmedical cannibiscannabispersonnes âgéespréjugésprofessionnels de la santé
Type
Article
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , First View , pp. 1 - 10
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Copyright
© Canadian Association on Gerontology 2024

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