Emily Klopper: Living with multiple medicines
Hear Emily Klopper speak about the challenges for patients who take multiple medicines.
Main occupation: Pharmacist (Managing Partner)
Years in clinical practice: 10
Qualifications: BPharm MPS, Grad Dip ExSci, MEd
Emily works as a community pharmacist in an area of Melbourne that includes residents who are affluent and highly educated, as well as those on low incomes. Many of her customers who take multiple medicines emigrated from Mediterranean Europe and are now in their later years.
Emily describes some of the problems people have when they take multiple medicines, such as the high cost and forgetting to take them, and what their pharmacy can do to help. She shares her views on how complementary medicines can fit into a holistic medication regimen and discusses the advantages of Webster-paks and Medico-paks. Emily also describes what her pharmacy does to help people who have language barriers to communicate what they are taking.
Emily emphasises how important it is for individuals to know the benefits of the medicines they are taking and who the most appropriate health professionals are to talk to about their medicines. She explains that pharmacists are more than happy to provide information about medicines, as they are trained in how to educate their customers and it is what they like to do.
Listen to Emily Klopper
Emily Klopper says that it is important that allied health professionals also know about people’s use of complementary medicines.
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Emily Klopper emphasises that pharmacists in particular are there to educate people about medicines.
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Emily Klopper says that sometimes the issues with multiple medicines have more to do with how well a person can manage their medicines, rather than the particular number of medicines they take.
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Emily Klopper discusses the advantages of using Webster-paks if people are getting confused by their medicines. Although some of the people we spoke to felt they were too young to consider using them, Emily has found they work well for some of her young customers who take multiple medicines.
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Emily Klopper describes some of the things she can do in her pharmacy to help customers who are having problems affording their medicines.
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The Living with multiple medicines project was developed in collaboration with
