New voices, new perspectives and new connections as PharmCare 2023 registrations open

The countdown has officially begun to Australia’s newest conference for accredited, onsite aged care and GP pharmacists leading patient-centred care, with registrations opening today for PharmCare 2023, to be held 2-4 March next year in Tasmania.

The comprehensive two and a half day program includes an evening arrival function, key clinical updates, focused skills development, a sweeping state of the nation and plentiful moments to network, connect and enjoy the sights and tastes of harbourside Hobart.

SHPA President Tom Simpson says PharmCare 2023’s invited specialists will bring powerful insights from the cutting-edge of practice.

‘PharmCare 2023 is here to strengthen the accredited pharmacist landscape and provide a dynamic and supportive community for accredited pharmacists, offering new voices, new perspectives and new connections.

‘Australia’s newest conference in this space will illuminate pathways to embedded roles in residential aged care and at transitions of care – to foster collaboration and innovation at a time of unparalleled opportunity for pharmacists working to expand the boundaries of practice.’

The opening keynote address will be delivered by Dr Stephanie Ward, Geriatrician at Prince of Wales Hospital (NSW) and a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, whose passion for the benefits of intergenerational contact led to her role as an expert advisor on the ABC’s Emmy Award winning Old People's Home for 4 Year Olds, a unique social experiment exploring intergenerational connections.

Key clinical topics will span every aspect of team-based and patient-centred care, including

• The role of the pharmacist in caring for people with dementia and delirium:
  • Insights from the incredible Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, a partnership with the University of Tasmania. The Wicking Centre’s research-led approach to the care of Tasmanians with dementia has informed the groundbreaking ‘small house’ model of Korongee Dementia Village that increases social and mental wellbeing for residents.
  • Associate Professor Juanita Breen will present on psychotropic use in older people, a timely discussion following the harrowing evidence and resulting recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
     
• The holistic view of the patient as a person:
  • Sue Leitch, Pharmacist, Co-Chair of Elder Abuse Action Australia and CEO of COTA (Council On The Ageing) Tasmania, will present on strategies to help identify and prevent elder abuse encompassing the role inclusivity in benefiting the health and wellbeing of older people.
  • Dr Lisa Mitchell, Geriatrician and General Physician, will share insights from a perspective that is ‘In Sunset’s Glow’, as we consider life, death and the older person.
  • Sessions will also cover ‘caring for the carers’ and the very meaning of ‘person-centred care’ – no longer a buzz phrase in health, but the absolute core of the future of aged care in Australia.

• Essential Clinical Updates addressing issues facing pharmacists working in residential aged care facilities and in outreach programs:
  • Heart failure management
  • Respiratory update
  • Pressure ulcers and wound care
  • Ageing well with HIV.

Mr Simpson says PharmCare will also feature a ‘State of the Nation’ comprising representatives from key areas of pharmacy practice, amid a program dedicated to prompting conversation and innovation.

‘Accredited and on-site pharmacists know the value of forming strong professional networks, ensuring that even when practicing solo they are never isolated from their peers.

‘PharmCare's social program reflects this, with extensive networking opportunities, including arrival drinks reception, a break inspired by BYO “clinical conundrums” and a celebratory post-conference dinner sampling the world-famous cuisine of Tasmania.’

Mr Simpson says SHPA is dedicated to empowering and advancing pharmacist expertise for every patient, at the bedside, clinic or home.

‘If your work is where our older patients are, whether that be in a residential aged care facility, a hospital bed, their own bed, or in a clinic – SHPA is for you.

‘We’re proud of our consistent focus over more than two decades supporting Accredited Pharmacists to bridge gaps in the transitions between acute, primary and aged care and work to drive systems-based improvements to medication safety.

‘Our “AcSHP” members and attendees to PharmCare 2023 are sought out for their expertise in medication management, working to manage complex and novel medicines to patients in need as part of team-based care built on knowledge networks.

‘By recognising, celebrating and elevating the underpinning skills and experience through our new SHPA Accredited Pharmacists Network, we can work toward a future in which we are defined by what we can do, and by the care we can provide, than by where we work.’