One of the most enjoyable and rewarding aspects of being a community pharmacist is the opportunity to interact with members of our local communities. It’s through providing patient-focused care and getting to know our clients on a personal level that we become aware of and learn more about community needs, beyond the mere provision of pharmaceutical and health services.
For more than two decades, our Capital Chemist Community Programme has donated somewhere between four and five million dollars to over forty local and national organisations as well as individuals in need. In searching for organisations to support, we try to identify programs whose mission aligns with our own, and the Memory Walk and Jog certainly fits that criteria.
Every day, we see the wide-ranging impact of dementia on the 459,000 Australians with dementia, and the almost 1.6 million people involved in their care. We understand that each person’s experience of dementia is different, and requires different levels of care. As community pharmacists, we recognise our responsibility and role in identifying signs of dementia, as well as assisting people with dementia and their carers with the supply and management of medication.
Beyond our role as pharmacists, we see the impact that dementia has on our community first-hand. We hear people’s stories, we witness their journeys and we understand their need to live well with dementia and maintain independence. Like many people in Australia, many of our pharmacists have been affected personally through their friends, family or community members living with dementia. It’s for these reasons that we identify so strongly with Dementia Australia’s mission of providing support, education and information, and advocating for the needs of people living with dementia, their families and carers.
For five years, Capital Chemist Group has been involved with the Memory Walk and Jog. Our staff have assisted with fundraising as well as personally participating in the event. It’s an important date on our community calendar, and we’re proud to continue our support into the new decade.
Of course, we also recognise the role that the Memory Walk and Jog has in encouraging and assisting people to get active and support an important cause at the same time. Whether through training or the event day itself, it’s a pleasure to get outside, get some exercise, rally with our community and raise some money for Dementia Australia’s work.
