Seniors face many choices. That is especially true when choosing pharmacies. Did you know some pharmacies specialize in serving seniors in long-term care communities? Here are questions to consider to help determine which one is right for you or your loved one.

Is it full-service?

When choosing a pharmacy, you want to select a one-stop shop for prescriptions, over-the-counter medications and IV services. That way, you don’t need to shop multiple pharmacies for what you need. This becomes especially important as seniors transition to different levels of care. Also consider the packaging of the materials to ensure it is as safe, easy and convenient as possible for residents and staff.

Does it deliver?

Delivery provides convenience, especially for those who do not drive and do not have others nearby to pick up medications for them. A&E Pharmacy, for example, offers free daily deliveries to the communities they serve, with nearly all medicines delivered on the same day as prescribed. A&E provides service to long-term care communities in Minnesota.

Does it offer comprehensive medication reviews?

Pharmacists are medication experts, so it makes sense for them to provide comprehensive medication reviews. They thoroughly review medication when residents begin using the pharmacy and at regular intervals thereafter, making recommendations as needed.

How does it integrate with your healthcare team?

All care providers should be reviewing the same information to ensure patient safety. Choose a pharmacy that interfaces with other electronic health record systems so that information is accurate and up to date to help prevent drug interactions and limit confusion regarding medications.

How does it handle billing?

There are really two questions here: does the pharmacy accept your health insurance and how does the pharmacy bill your insurance? Choose a pharmacy that bills insurance and provides a comprehensive statement to residents or designated POAs at the end of the month. This helps consolidate your billing into one pharmacy, making tracking your spending more manageable.

Does the pharmacy specialize in serving seniors?

Seniors have unique needs and it is important to have pharmacy staff who understand those needs. A&E pharmacists are expert clinicians in understanding how medications function in older populations. They work with prescribers to reduce medications needed, identify drug interactions and opportunities to optimize therapy. A&E longtime staff develop relationships with nursing staff to better serve residents.

Does it offer vaccines and vaccination clinics?

Many pharmacies offer vaccines. Some like A&E go beyond that to identify vaccines that may be due for residents and provide opportunities to receive them throughout the year. This includes vaccines for COVID, influenza, pneumonia, RSV and shingles.

Does it offer pharmacogenomics?

Pharmacogenomics uses information about a person’s genetic makeup, or genome, to choose the drugs and drug doses that are likely to work best for that person. Choose a pharmacy that offers DNA testing to identify how each individual metabolizes medications. Those results can be used to create a custom plan to provide to your care providers and make recommendations as future medications are prescribed.

A&E is proud to be a resource for seniors. If you want to learn how A&E Pharmacy answers these questions for those in communities in Minnesota, visit AEPharmacy.org or call 612-238-8615.