United Way-PSW Safe and Healthy Aging Initiative
The Issue: Falls and adverse drug events lead to loss of independence, increased health care costs and decreased quality of life. Many older adults are on complex medication regimens, some of which may increase the likelihood of experiencing ADE’s or falls. Pharmacists and pharmacy students can help to prevent these events in this population.
The Goal: The United Way-PSW Safe and Healthy Aging Initiative goal is to reduce the number of falls and adverse drug events experienced by older adults in Dane County. As part of the Wisconsin Pharmacy Quality Collaborative (WPQC), community pharmacists provide comprehensive medication reviews (CMRs) at local senior centers. With involvement from local WPQC qualified pharmacists, United Way of Dane County’s goal is to keep people as healthy, safe and independent as possible.
Get Involved! Beginning as a DPH-2, pharmacy students are able to sign-up to participate in these comprehensive medication review (CMR) events taking place throughout Dane County at various participating senior centers and other locations. Students will team up with a WPQC-certified pharmacist to provide a CMR for patients. The student will obtain an accurate medication history prior to pharmacist consultation. This provides an opportunity for the student to witness WPQC measures firsthand.
Event sign-ups are created through the Sign-Up Genius website. Students are required to watch a short training video prior to the event.
For more information, contact Jared Meister (jameister@wisc.edu) or Michael Milani (mjmilani@wisc.edu).