How apps and medication deliveries make caring for kids and aging parents easier
These days, parents are being pulled in every direction trying to balance parenting, work and school with leisure. As a mom myself, I understand too well the difficult realities of caring for my children, my parents, and myself—all while leading and supporting my teams at work through a drastically unsettling pandemic period.
While we consider improvements to our routines—whether work, at-home care, or even romance—we need to make our overall health and wellness a key priority. For me and my busy schedule, this means taking advantage of new digital tools and services that can be seamlessly integrated into my day and that benefit all members of my family. With so many easy-to-use digital health services available right now, I’m able to find more work-life balance so I can spend more quality time with my family and practice self-care.
Over the past few years, there has been a wide range of new digital services that have changed the way we access healthcare in Canada. Virtual doctors, specialist appointments, fitness and diet trackers have brought our health and wellness closer to home. I even use apps to ensure that my fridge is stocked with fresh fruit and nutritious meal ingredients.
One service that hasn’t been as accessible has been community-based pharmacy services. When my five-year-old son received some less-than-ideal health news during the pandemic, I was quick to identify TELUS Health’s online pharmacy service, which allowed me to order and track his medication without having to line up and wait at my local pharmacy. It was even delivered to our front door.
These services are becoming more available and more convenient, helping families across Canada (excluding Quebec) with a key aspect of their health and wellness: easier and more convenient access to medication and personal pharmacy support.
Canadians are struggling to get to their neighbourhood pharmacy
A recent survey by Leger for TELUS Health found that one-third of Canadians said they often missed picking up prescription medications. Nearly 60 per cent said this was because they forgot, while almost 50 per cent said they were too busy or too focused on work or family responsibilities. This result was particularly common among respondents between the ages of 30 and 45 who are often coined as the “sandwich generation”—those who find themselves in the middle—caring for their children and often their own parents.
The research indicates that these challenges are largely unaddressed as only four out of 10 respondents indicated that they were using a virtual pharmacy service to access their medications; one-quarter of respondents reported not knowing that virtual pharmacy services even exist.
Using virtual pharmacies to keep your family’s healthcare routine on track
As seasons and schedules change along with the on-and-off restrictions of COVID-19, picking up medications in-person from a local pharmacy may present a challenge for many—especially busy parents. Virtual pharmacy services, like TELUS Health Virtual Pharmacy, can help by:
Giving you greater control over managing your family’s health from your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Feel confident that you can better manage your family’s health and medications with everything in one convenient place with easy-to-use and proven technology. Get personal advice from friendly, knowledgeable and licensed Canadian pharmacists through voice, video or chat support from the comfort of your home, and on your schedule.
Having medications delivered right to your doorstep
You’re busy, so avoid waiting in lines with virtual pharmacy services. Simply enter your drug coverage information, transfer new and/or existing medications to your account, and set up reminders for automatic prescription refills. Prescriptions are shipped right to your front door, or to the door of an aging parent who needs help with frequent medication refills.
The ability to manage multiple prescriptions
Virtual pharmacies have the potential to make life easier, especially for busy Canadians who are managing multiple health conditions for themselves and their loved ones. People who take regular prescription medications can have peace of mind that refill prescriptions will arrive on schedule. Services like MedPack, which provide a customized pill dispenser that makes it easier to take one’s medications accurately and for travel, are also available.
Getting back more time with virtual pharmacy services
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, many families in Canada were struggling to obtain access to healthcare support services. One in eight Canadians currently do not have access to a family physician or primary health team, and wait times for routine appointments are growing. We are in a constant state of healthcare uncertainty. Canadians need support, especially parents who are responsible for their entire family’s health.
Virtual pharmacy services can make life easier for parents. More importantly, it gives them the most valuable commodity of all: time. These unique tools can help balance the broad spectrum of responsibilities that come with caring for children and aging parents by keeping everything in one easily accessible and convenient place.
