A new column for caregivers

Uniprix is proud to join forces with the Professionals Networking for Caregivers to offer you this health column.

Each month, pharmacist Marie-Soleil Beaulieu will address a different topic, always intended to guide you in providing care for your loved ones.

Would you like this column to deal with a specific subject? Please send us your comments and suggestions at marie-soleil.beaulieu@uniprix.com.

Your pharmacist available for you

To launch this initiative, I would like to describe how your pharmacist can be of service to you.

A pharmacist is THE medications expert. Did you know that there are more than 20,000 pharmaceutical products on the market in Canada? Without necessarily knowing them all, your pharmacist knows where to get the information on each of them.

In the dispensary, your pharmacist actively works to serve your needs.

• Upon receiving a prescription at the counter, for example, he ensures that the dosage is adequate for the patient and meets treatment standards. 
• He systematically verifies the possibility of interactions with other medications the patient is taking as well as any contraindications. To carry out this verification, he needs to check the patient’s file. That’s why it’s important to keep this information up to date, and, if possible, centralize all of it in a single pharmacy.  
• Lastly, the pharmacist meets the patient or caregiver to dispense the medication, explain how to take it and provide information on possible side effects.

The pharmacy provides many services to ensure patients take their medications regularly and exactly as prescribed. For example:  

• You can ask your pharmacist to increase the size of the print on your prescription labels to make them easier to read.
• In addition, if you have difficulty swallowing tablets, your pharmacist may be able to give you other options, in some cases. 
• The organizing of pills is another service that can help you in taking your prescriptions. Your pharmacist can also have your medications delivered to your home.

You should know too that your pharmacist is available for you at all times, not just when you drop off your prescription. He is always there to answer any questions you may have about prescription or non-prescription medications; and he can suggest monitoring services for certain health conditions.

Marie-Soleil Beaulieu
Uniprix-affiliated pharmacist
marie-soleil.beaulieu@uniprix.com

Coming next month:
A new booklet to help you to closely monitor your health and that of your loved ones.