12.09.2005
Aging often brings complicated medication regimes involving several drugs that need to be taken using different schedules throughout the day, often with complex instructions. Twenty second year pharmacy students will be visiting older people in the local area to enable the older people to gain a better understanding of the medication they are taking.
The project is managed by Seniors Community Project/CDHA and the School of Pharmacy and is funded and supported by Brighton and Sussex Community Knowledge Exchange.
The students will visit the older people in their homes monthly, to get to know them and to increase the students' understanding of older people's needs, including their social situation and their general health issues. The students will provide information and support for current medication regimes and help older people understand the effects of the medication on their health.
"Today, pharmacy is moving away from the white lab coat image - improving patient health is our goal, and this can be partly achieved through educated patients," said Mike Ellis-Martin, the academic project partner and Senior Lecturer in the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences. "Building communication skills is vital to the role of the pharmacist and this experience gives students the opportunity to develop these skills. The skill set includes attentive listening, explaining difficult concepts so all can understand and reading body language. It is only through real-life experiences, such as those provided by this community scheme, that a pharmacy student can hone these skills."
In addition to the students' learning, the program helps meet community needs. Bee Pooley, the community project partner and Senior Development Worker at the Seniors Community Project/Chichester Diocesan Housing Association, added that there are benefits for both students and the people they serve: "Just learning from older people is a benefit for any student. The experiences that some of the older people can share are amazing. The students have such different backgrounds that they can share with the residents, too. The students and residents will develop relationships and will get to know each another on a one-to-one basis."
Contact: Marketing and Communications, University of Brighton,
01273 643022
