Medication Safety and Senior Care

This is Medication Safety Week and I’ve come across several conferences and other related resources.  This website has some good ideas on medication safety programming and activities.  Access to medication—as in pharmacies—is a growing problem; I discuss that below.  Medication safety is a special concern among the elderly-I’ve found some senior/caregiver resources, too.

Here are a couple conference and workshop opportunities around the state and nation:

  • UW Continuing Education is hosting a one-day workshop June 11, Medications used to treat school-age children.  It will cover medications used to treat a variety of childhood conditions, including depression, anxiety disorders, and ADHD.  You will learn about side effects, positive effects and their mechanism of action.
  • The National Rural Health Association’s Medication Use in Rural America Conference is June 16-18 in Kansas City.  It “will describe and discuss medication-related issues affecting rural communities and engage a broad audience of rural stakeholders and decision makers to discuss challenges and solutions related to practice, research, education and policy related to medication use in rural communities.”

You may have read about the “sandwich generation”—people caring for parents while raising their own children.  This article is a good overview of the predicament, with an emphasis on rural caregivers’ challenges.  As the author states, “Unlike caregivers living in urban areas, rural caregivers may find themselves removed from readily available and professionally organized supportive services and care networks.  They may also find themselves not only carrying the normal burdens that are associated with providing care for a loved one, but also they may be faced with challenges such as geographic barriers to resources and isolation from other caregivers, family members or informal supports.  This lack of service availability, care networks, and isolation from other caregivers and family members can add to caregiver stress, burnout, and depression.”  She include a few links to support agencies.  I’ve come across three grant and award opportunities that recognize and fund the efforts of individuals and organizations to provide family care.

  • The Alzheimer Foundation of America’s Family Respite Care Grants help with the cost of respite care for families caring for patients with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia.  Funds may be used for in-home care, adult day programs or other types of respite.  This is a semi-annual award; the next deadline is May 1.
  • The MetLife Foundation Family Caregiver Awards Program is not a grant, but provides recognition to community agencies that support family caregivers.  They will recognize organizations that provide assistance in several, including training programs for family caregivers, respite programs and programs helping older adults care for adult disabled children.  The cash award is not a grant and cannot be used to develop new programming; it is recognition for past and current work well done.  Nominations are due May 7.
  • The Brookdale Foundation’s National Group Respite Program will award seed grants to organizations to provide new dementia-specific adult day programming to participants, along with support to caregivers, in order to help individuals remain in their homes.  In addition to a grant, awardees are eligible for ongoing technical assistance, including on site assistance, as they develop and implement their programs.  Non-profit, dementia-focused organizations should apply by July 1.

A recent issue of the Rural Assistance Center’s Rural Monitor newsletter was devoted to rural pharmacies.  Anyone who has spent time in rural communities over the last several years has seen pharmacies close—and they’re not being replaced by Walgreens.  Articles describe how some states and communities are turning to alternatives, like telepharmacy, where pharmacies can operate without an onsite pharmacist.  The lack of new pharmacists locating in rural communities (like many health care providers) is adding to the access problem.  Remote pharmacist systems have provided relief in some areas.  There is also an article on the 340B program—eligible hospitals and clinics can provide prescriptions at reduced rates.  If you’re not familiar with RAC, you should look at their website.  There’s an incredible amount of information here—grant opportunities, tools and other resources.

Finally, the Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis produced a report documenting the loss of rural pharmacies.  Between 2006 and 2008, over 500 independent rural pharmacies closed.  Many of these were the sole pharmacy in the area; the number of retail pharmacies in 213 rural places dropped from one to zero (6 in WI), and the number of retail pharmacies in 118 rural places dropped from more than one to only one (3 in WI).

April 5, 2010 · KJacobson · No Comments
Tags: , , , , , ,  Â· Posted in: Conferences and Webinars, Grant Advice, Reports and Studies

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