Primary Health Tasmania is hosting a free webinar focusing on the approach to polypharmacy in older adults
Polypharmacy and medication management is a common and complex challenge in the care of older adults. In this session, a geriatrician will discuss key considerations for medication management, including risk assessment, deprescribing, frailty and shared decision-making. There will also be an overview of Care@home’s new Virtual Multidisciplinary Outreach Service (VMOS) and how this service supports the care of older adults transitioning to or living in residential aged care homes.
Participants will leave with practical tools to support safer prescribing and improve health outcomes for older adults.
This event is pending RACGP and ACRRM approved for 1.5 hours of Educational Activities.
Learning outcomes:
- Recognise the risks and challenges associated with polypharmacy in older adults, including common medication-related harms.
- Apply a structured approach to medication review and risk assessment in older adults with complex health needs and frailty.
- Identify opportunities for deprescribing, medication optimisation and shared decision making to improve safety and clinical outcomes.
- Describe Care@home’s Virtual Multidisciplinary Outreach Service (VMOS) service and how this service supports the care of older Tasmanians.
Speaker information:
Associate Professor Marc Budge works between Bendigo Health and Tas Health Services. Marc has extensive experience in geriatric medicine, including establishing a Telehealth outreach network in Bendigo, Geri-Connect, to deliver services to RACHs across the Loddon Mallee region of Victoria. Marc is currently the leading Geriatrician for Care@home’s VMOS to support RACH residents’ access timely, specialised geriatrician interventions virtually.
Dr Michelle Hannan is a GP and rural generalist with postgraduate qualifications in public health, infectious diseases intelligence and health administration. She has extensive experience in rural and remote service delivery, system redesign, and virtual models of care. She worked with the Royal Flying Doctor Service for a decade delivering both primary care services and aeromedical retrieval across New South Wales and Queensland, most recently serving as the State Lead for Primary Health Care in Queensland. Michelle is currently the medical lead of Care@home, a multidisciplinary virtual service supporting people with complex and chronic conditions to receive safe, high-quality care in their homes and residential aged care settings.