Overview: A Growing Need for Pharmacist-Led Community Health
As the U.S. population ages, the burden of chronic disease grows and the ability of older adults to manage medications can wane. National statistics highlight the scale of this challenge: roughly 56 million Americans are 65 or older, with about 95% living with at least one chronic condition and 80% managing two or more. Health literacy and numeracy gaps compound these risks, making it harder for seniors to interpret materials, forms, and numbers.
Alongside disease burden, polypharmacy remains a reality for many older adults. Approximately one-third of US adults over 60 are prescribed five or more medications, elevating the risk of adverse drug events and drug interactions. This convergence of aging, multiple conditions, and complex regimens creates a demand for accessible, practical guidance that fits into everyday life.
In response, healthcare professionals have been exploring pharmacist-led, community-based approaches to medication optimization and chronic disease management. These interventions aim to improve health literacy, support self-management, and reduce disparities in care for older adults.
The Role of Pharmacists in Everyday Health
Pharmacists, through Medication Therapy Management (MTM) and expanded clinical roles, are well positioned to help older patients navigate their regimens, avoid nonindicated or duplicative therapies, and align medications with personal health goals. Bringing MTM and counseling into community settings—such as senior housing facilities and neighborhood events—offers reachable, trusted care outside traditional clinics. This approach aligns with broader goals of equity and accessibility, ensuring that aging populations receive practical, timely guidance where they live.
The Pharm2Home Initiative: A Community-Based Pilot
What it is and where it happened
The Pharm2Home Initiative is a pharmacist-led program designed to improve disease management and pharmacotherapy use among older adults, with a focus on health equity. The study evaluated a single-arm, post-intervention implementation in Solano County, California, from January 2022 through August 2023. Participants resided in low-income senior housing facilities and managed at least one chronic condition.
How the program worked
During MTM sessions held at community venues, clinical pharmacists reviewed medication lists, addressed issues such as expired or duplicated medications and nonindicated meds, offered immunization guidance, and discussed lifestyle adjustments to support chronic disease control. After each session, participants reported whether they would implement the pharmacist’s recommendations or modify them with their clinicians. The study enrolled 65 participants (mean age 74.5 years; 70.8% women).
What the evaluation found
Preliminary results indicate MTM services and chronic disease education were well received. Participants expressed trust in pharmacists’ clinical judgment and showed willingness to convey recommendations to their treating clinicians. Across all participants, pharmacists identified 118 medication-related issues, including adverse drug reactions, nonindicated medications, and duplicated prescriptions—problems that are often missed without pharmacist input.
Equity focus
A core aim of Pharm2Home is to reduce health inequality by bringing essential pharmacologic expertise to underserved older adults in familiar community settings. By meeting people where they live and socialize, the program seeks to bridge gaps in health literacy and access that disproportionately affect economically disadvantaged seniors.
What this Means for Older Adults and the Health System
These early findings suggest a practical pathway for expanding pharmacist-led care in underserved communities. By delivering medication management, education, and collaborative problem-solving in local settings, pharmacists can address health literacy barriers and polypharmacy—two critical obstacles to optimal chronic disease control in older adults. The initiative also points to a scalable model for broader MTM services integrated into community health programs and housing facilities.
Limitations and the Road Ahead
As a single-arm pilot with post-intervention data, the study cannot determine long-term health outcomes. The authors emphasize that further research, including larger, longer-term studies, is needed to quantify sustained effects on disease control and medication safety, and to understand how best to scale such programs across diverse communities.
Bottom Line
Despite its early stage, the Pharm2Home initiative demonstrates the practicality and potential value of pharmacist-led community health interventions for older adults. As health systems pursue improved chronic disease management and health equity, expanding MTM services in local communities could become a cornerstone of elder care.
