- Expands Free Resources and Programs as
Caregiving Demand Grows -
April 7, 2020
National Caregivers Day | Connecting Caregivers and Pharmacists
TORONTO, April 7, 2020 /CNW/ - During unprecedented
times when preserving the health of all Canadians, and in
particular seniors and compromised individuals with underlying
health conditions is forefront, more and more people have taken on
additional caregiving responsibilities for those who are ill with
the COVID-19 infection or are self-isolated to prevent the
spread.
On National Caregiver Day, Teva
Canada acknowledges all caregivers and the critical
work they provide in supporting our healthcare system both in times
of crisis and normalcy, and remains committed to providing the most
relevant information and resources to help caregivers feel
confident in the care they provide through caregiver-focused
programs.
Today, in Canada, there are
eight million caregivers that play an important role in advocating,
mediating and coordinating care with health care professionals, but
they need more support. According to Statistics Canada's General
Social Survey 2018 (released January
2020), almost a quarter struggle to understand the treatment
program and condition of the person they are caring for; 56 per
cent look for information specific to the medical condition of the
care recipient and 36 per cent require help or advice from medical
professionals.
Teva Canada's
Caregiver-Friendly Pharmacy Program
Recognizing the importance of the caregiver-pharmacist
connection, Teva Canada, part of
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA), launched
the Caregiver-Friendly Pharmacy (CFP) program which includes
accredited training for pharmacy teams and online resources for
caregivers that are further supported with a mapping tool that
helps carers find a pharmacy in their local area that specializes
in their needs at www.tevacaregivers.com.
"We know that more than 80 per cent of caregivers pick up
medication for their loved one and pharmacists are a highly trusted
and accessible member of the healthcare team," says Christine Poulin, Teva
Canada's General Manager. "Teva
Canada recognized the opportunity to strengthen and optimize
the relationship between caregivers and the pharmacy team by
providing the relevant tools and resources that caregivers are in
need of."
"Since launching nationally less than a year ago, more than
1,600 pharmacists have received training on how to make the care
experience easier," says David
Boughner, Teva Canada's
Senior Director, Partnerships and Corporate Communications. "We
know the need for this information exists as more than 10,000
Canadians are accessing Teva
Canada's Caregiver website each month looking for
free information and resources."
Mike Boivin, a pharmacist from
Barrie, Ontario sees the need
first-hand. "With greater access to information, a support network
and the pharmacy team, caregivers can feel more empowered in their
knowledge and abilities in providing care," he says. "Pharmacists
understand the burden and stressors so many caregivers are
experiencing and with this program, pharmacists can help them feel
more confident in caring for their loved one and
themselves."
The free Caregiver-Friendly Pharmacy program
includes:
- a designated caregiver website that offers downloadable
resources, tools and checklists, videos of carers and essential
legal information and guidelines for serving as a Power of Attorney
for a patient (www.tevacaregivers.com)
- My Caregiver Handbook – designed to help alleviate
stress and anxiety by showing people how to navigate the healthcare
system more efficiently
- Caregiver Self-Assessment Form which helps to flag
for signs of burnout or fatigue to determine if they need help from
a health care provider
- a link to the Huddol community -- Canada's largest online
caregiver support network that connects caregivers with peer and
expert guidance (www.huddol.com).
"With the rapid growth of the program and adoption by the
caregiver community, Teva Canada
continues to build and enhance the CFP program," said Poulin. "At
www.tevacaregivers.com, we've recently added helpful guides for
caring for people with specific conditions like cancer, dementia
and multiple sclerosis, and a ten-episode podcast series on Care
During Cancer that explores the most common issues that
patients, families and caregivers may experience while living with
cancer."
New Initiative – Teva Canada
and Huddol Offer Free Virtual Personal Assistance to Caring
Families During the COVID-19 Crisis
With support from
Teva Canada, Huddol announced today
the creation of a Caregiver Community Fund. Through this
fund, Huddol Pro's (a group of multidisciplinary healthcare
professionals, some bilingual) will provide free personal 1-to-1
video support sessions. Caregivers will have free virtual access to
40 health and wellness professionals for 30 days through Huddol.com
using the promo code "TevaCares". Following the initial free
period, the services will continue to be offered at discounted
fees. This is in addition to Huddol's already free social network.
Caregivers are facing new realities each day that complicate the
way they provide needed care. Issues such as the inability to
contact family members in care facilities; self-isolation and the
challenge of meeting the needs of those that still depend on them;
and the enormous demand of caregiving for additional loved ones
during COVID-19 have increased. Virtual connections to emotional
support and practical guidance are crucial to make sense of this
new and unexpected reality.
"This virtual network of 40 professionals offers advice and
support in a multitude of disciplines including mental health,
nutrition, senior care, parenting, and in-home support services,"
says Huddol CEO Mark Stolow. "With
Teva Canada's support, we're
grateful to be able to provide free counselling and coaching
support to caregivers who may be feeling even more isolated in
their homes or restricted from their loved ones in hospitals or
long-term care settings."
Poulin agrees. "We know caregivers can feel very alone and need
support in the best of times. In the current COVID-19 climate,
we're seeing mental health professionals offer free counselling to
frontline healthcare workers in Canada, and now there's a similar program to
help Canadian caregivers gain more access to experts, more quickly,
to deal with everything from stress and anxiety to strains on
relationships."
"At Teva, we serve nearly 200 million people every day around
the world with our medicines. We're proud to be expanding the
narrative by supporting the caregivers who care for their loved
ones and empowering pharmacists with the resources to provide
needed education and support," says Poulin. "I
invite Canadians to share the caregiver experience by watching
Teva Canada's Acts of Love
video to see how caregivers embrace their changing role in
order to bring care and joyous moments to a loved one as their
health changes."
About Teva Canada
Teva Canada, headquartered in
Toronto, has provided affordable
healthcare solutions to Canadians for over 50 years, building their
trust one prescription at a time with now more than
220,000i prescriptions filled each day with our
products. Originally Novopharm Limited, Teva Canada specializes in the development,
production and marketing of high-quality generic prescription
pharmaceuticals and through our branded division, focuses on a
diverse line of innovative products in a variety of therapeutic
areas. Teva Canada employs more than
1,000 professionals, had sales of nearly $1.3 billionii in 2019 and
markets more than 385 products in 1,000 SKUsiii in
Canada. We are a proud subsidiary
of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. Learn more at
www.tevacanada.com.
About Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) has
been developing and producing medicines to improve people's lives
for more than a century. We are a global leader in generic and
specialty medicines with a portfolio consisting of over 3,500
products in nearly every therapeutic area. Around 200 million
people around the world take a Teva medicine every day, and are
served by one of the largest and most complex supply chains in the
pharmaceutical industry. Along with our established presence in
generics, we have significant innovative research and operations
supporting our growing portfolio of specialty and biopharmaceutical
products. Learn more at www.tevapharm.com.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
i Source: IQVIA
CDH & Compuscript MAT December 2019
|
ii Source: IQVIA
CDH & Compuscript MAT December 2019
|
iii Source:
IQVIA CDH & Compuscript MAT December 2019
|
|
SOURCE Teva Canada Limited