Learn About Medication Safety at Grace Cottage

TOWNSHEND, Vt. –- Many older adults live with at least one chronic condition, including arthritis, heart disease or diabetes. Many of them take multiple medicines and/ or herbal remedies and consult with more than one healthcare provider. This, plus age- related changes that affect the way certain drugs work in the body, can set the stage for serious medicine-use related problems.

Grace Cottage Hospital is holding a free session of the Medication Use Safety Training for Seniors™ program (MUST for Seniors™) on Thursday, Nov. 15, from 4:30-6:00 p.m., to provide important information about safe medicine use to older adults and their caregivers.

The session will be led by Grace Cottage Hospital Pharmacist Jim Heal and will be held in the hospital’s Holt Conference Room in the Heins Building, 133 Grafton Rd. (Route 35), in Townshend.

Designed by the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE), the goal of the program is to encourage older adults and their caregivers to learn about the medicines they use and to be active partners in their healthcare by routinely talking with providers about their medicines.

MUST for Seniors™ aims to promote safe and appropriate medicine use by giving older adults and caregivers the tools and know-how they need to avoid medication misuse. It helps them recognize and manage common side effects and teaches them skills to help avoid medication errors. When used properly, medicines can treat or delay the onset or progression of many chronic conditions and enhance quality of life.

To sign up to attend this free session, call 802-365-3649.