Media Advisory:
St. Louis College of Pharmacy Students Focus on Issues Facing the Elderly
What: Ever imagine what it’s like to be an elderly person, or wonder how a senior citizen deals with medication or health care system-related problems? About 50 second-year students at St. Louis College of Pharmacy will learn firsthand by participating in The Geriatric Medication Game.
Designed by STLCOP faculty members, the game helps health care professionals (physicians, nurses, therapist, pharmacists, physicians’ assistants, and medical office personnel) and students better understand everyday situations that elderly persons encounter when acquiring and using over-the-counter and prescription medications.
Utilizing role play, students will initially receive a patient profile to develop their “elder identities.” They determine their identity by selecting personal characteristics they hope to have when they are 65 years of age and older. They learn of their financial resources and physical handicaps.
Next, they will move to the encounters/challenges stage which depicts health care situations and consequences/challenges. Here, they may encounter a medication-related problem or health care system issue that can change resources, add or improve their physical handicaps, and cause the gain or loss of personal attributes.
At the end of the one-hour game, students will discuss medication-usage issues, the health care system, and ways to make “real life” easier for elderly persons.
When: Wednesday, Oct. 13 at 11 a.m.
Where: St. Louis College of Pharmacy’s Cartwright Student center. A campus map is available here.
About St. Louis College of Pharmacy: Founded in 1864, St. Louis College of Pharmacy is one of the oldest and largest colleges of pharmacy in the nation. The College admits students directly from high school and integrates the liberal arts and sciences with a six-year professional curriculum leading to the doctor of pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree. More than 1,200 students attend, and more than 72 percent of practicing pharmacists in the St. Louis region are alumni.
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