Dear Nurse Kris,
My dad gets so confused when he visits his doctor. He’s hard of hearing and even with hearing aides he
doesn’t understand what the doctor is always saying. The pharmacist he gets his tablets from tries to
explain things to him, but by the time he gets home he’s forgotten instructions. I know he has a good
memory, but it’s almost as though he needs one to one assistance in understanding medication
instructions. I live in the same town as he does, but I work all day and cannot get time off of work to go
with him. By the time I’m off work, the pharmacy he uses, has closed.
Signed, Carol in Kelowna
Dear Carol,
I empathize with you and your dad. Busy health care professionals sometimes assume patients have the
information they need, or will ask for clarification if needed. Unless your Dad asks for more information,
they’ll assume he understands everything. Perhaps I can steer you towards one of Kelowna’s best kept
secrets. "Prescription Health Studio” at 540 West Avenue, is owned and managed by Esther Simmons
Foot, a pharmacist. From time to time, when I need further information about a medication that my
client is on, I call Esther. She has been immeasurably helpful to me.
How I think she might be able to help your dad is that she will sit down with him, and spend thirty
minutes counselling him on his medications. She is compensated for this time, by billing BC Medical, for
this consultation. It is free to your dad, and anyone who wants to avail themselves of this. It is called a
“medication review”.
Given your dad's hearing difficulty, this might be the best solution. Esther can be reached at (778) 478-
1303 or [email protected]. An appointment is required for this.
This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.