As far as we know, no other organization integrates medication access and management, tailored community referrals, and Medicare counseling like Senior PharmAssist. We believe it is the combination of these services and how we conduct our work that generates positive health outcomes such as decreased use of hospitals and improved self-rated health. The three driving tenets that help us remain focused on our participants and their priorities are: using a racial equity framework so everyone feels welcome, integrating motivational interviewing (for example, using more open-ended questions), and providing continuity of care by remaining in close contact. These efforts support building genuine relationships and trust over time.
Last summer, with the support of partners like the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services and the NC Office of Rural Health, we conducted a statewide survey about similar services across North Carolina and received 366 responses. We then requested applications and began working with colleagues at Duke on a dissemination project: “Senior PharmAssist: Co-Design and Evaluation of a Toolkit to Promote Scalable Implementation.”
Over the next year, working with our Duke partners and with federal grant support, this project aims to help three communities in NC adopt and adapt the Senior PharmAssist model to their needs. This effort will also provide us with valuable feedback about how best to disseminate some of what we have learned over the years. This project will run through May 2023 and we will be working with clinical pharmacists, senior service programs, older adults and many other stakeholders in Buncombe, Guilford, and Pitt counties. We believe this work will not only mean that more older adults have improved health, but that Senior PharmAssist will learn new things to improve our services in Durham, and that revenue from future work will help the Durham efforts flourish. This is a win-win-win that we are excited to support.