Throughout September, Healthy Aging Month is observed to bring awareness and focus on the positive aspects of aging. The celebration encourages individuals to look deeper into their daily activities, take personal responsibility for their health and make changes to increase their quality of life.
For older adults, obtaining support from their healthcare team is essential in ensuring a positive aging journey. As members of the interdisciplinary care team, pharmacists play a direct role in the lives of patients, from medication prescription and management to wellness services and more.
Medication Access, Management and Safety
- From prescribed pharmaceutical treatments to over-the-counter medications, pharmacists provide their insights to patients to make sure they are well-informed and feel empowered to safely use their medications.
- Working together, pharmacists and patients can develop a schedule for daily medicine intake to reduce the risk of not taking a dose or taking more doses than required.
- Pharmacists can help older adults coordinate and manage the timing of their refills to ensure they never miss a prescription.
- For patients whose financial obligations may keep them from obtaining their medical prescriptions on time, pharmacists can provide resources such as assistance programs, medication coupons, and even speaking directly with the insurance company.
- As one of the key individuals interacting with patient’s prescription lists, pharmacists are able to identify harmful medicine interactions and side effects to relay to their patients.
- Outside of prescription management and support, pharmacists possess a wealth of resources for older adults and caregivers that can guide their path to healthy aging. These resources include materials on ADLs, falls prevention, heart health, continuity of care and more.
- At the pharmacy, older adults can also receive wellness checkups that include screenings for blood glucose, cholesterol, blood pressure and more.
- Pharmacists are also key individuals in promoting vaccination and immunization efforts, especially with seasonal and age-related vaccination needs.
?Collaboration is a key aspect of healthy aging, and pharmacists are excellent partners for patients and caregivers to succeed. At MAC Rx, our team of pharmacy experts is ready to serve the needs of your residents through our pharmacy, nurse consulting and pharmacy consulting services.?
We are honored to support healthy aging!?
Resources for Patients and Caregivers:
