Medication Safety Ambassadors
SRCHC is implementing the Poly-Seniors Project (PSP), funded by Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors program. The project’s focus is safe medication use for seniors. It aims at supporting local seniors in the community and teaches how to prevent medication errors. Examples of a medication error are, taking a medication at the wrong time or taking too much or too little. Many seniors take five or more medications (called polypharmacy) and this can put people at risk of harm.
The objectives of the project are to promote volunteerism among seniors (and others), expand awareness of elder medication misuse, and support social participation and inclusion of seniors. Supported by pharmacists from the Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada, seniors are involved in the program’s planning, design and development to help make the information more interesting, relevant and useful. Information about medication safety is available to staff and community members in English and also available in Chinese, Punjabi and Spanish. The senior’s group will be trained (online via Zoom) as medication safety ambassadors, and participating seniors will receive pandemic care packages sent to their homes. If you experience a medication error, click here to report it.
For more information or to book senior ambassadors to speak to your program, contact Shirley Cheng-Kerr at 416-461-3577, ext. 348.