Long Term Care Pharmacy and Senior Care Pharmacy Policy

Dear Colleagues,

Around the world, countries are confronting the rapid aging of their populations to an extent never experienced in history. Developed countries are already grappling with the graying of their populations. In 2005, more than 20% of the population in Japan and Germany was 65 years old or older. The United States Census Bureau recently updated projections and now estimates that the 65 years and older population will exceed the under 18 years old population by 2035. For developing countries, the United Nations also projects a rapid increase in the older adult population as the proportion under 15 years old begins to decline. This is placing new demands on long term care facilities, assisted-living facilities, senior living homes, adult day care centers, and memory care facilities. In each of these settings, medications play a growing role. Pharmacists are integral in the supply and safety of the medications as well as sharing a growing responsibility in the administration of medications and clinical decision making for these patients. Policy considerations are also mounting as medications become more effective and prevalent, but also more complex and expensive. This is all occurring in an environment with fewer younger people to serve as caregivers.

There is a pressing need for insight on long term care pharmacy and other extended-care facilities to improve decision making. The importance of learning what contributes to challenges in this space is appreciated. Of even greater use in the current climate is work that sheds light on what can be implemented to improve medicine-related care of older adults. Efforts that inform or evaluate policy related to medication use for older adults are also necessary. Research focusing on community-based partnerships and government-supported programs such as the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the US is also useful in illuminating potential for multi-stakeholder partnerships for geriatric care. For this Special Issue on “Long Term Care Pharmacy and Senior Care Pharmacy Policy”, we invite you to contribute original research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, short reports, economic analyses, case studies, and commentaries.

Prof. Jonathan H. Watanabe
Guest Editor

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• Long term care pharmacy
• Geriatrics
• Aging-related health policy
• Senior care pharmacy
• Health economics