TAMPA — A partnership between the University of South Florida and Unisen Senior Living is helping with research on senior health and gives pharmacy students hands-on learning experience.
Reba Cook has been a resident at the retirement community for several years.
Now that she's older, she doesn't drive and relies on the door-to-door service offered through USF's Pharmacy School.
"I have a supportive group of friends," said Cook.
A licensed USF pharmacist holds regular office hours at Unisen to provide consultations and medication reviews for residents.
The USF College of Pharmacy and School of Physical Therapy provides educational programs and health screening opportunities for Unisen residents.
Students from the College of Pharmacy and School of Physical Therapy have internship opportunities at Unisen to gain experience in medication management and have real-world, intergenerational interactions with seniors.
Unisen residents can enroll in select USF courses and pursue their educational interests through the university’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
USF Pharmacy students Dalie Elabed and Karolina Peksa help make the rounds to fill bottles and help with refilling prescriptions.
"We really just hope to see that it makes it easier for the patients. I know they take a lot of medications and it gets confusing." said Dalia Elabed.
"I think it's very beneficial for us as students to make an impact and make a difference in our patients' lives," said Karoline Peksa.
When senior lockdowns occurred during the pandemic, they learned just how invaluable the interactions are.
"I was the only face my patients saw during the pandemic and my students as well," said Dr. Carol Fox.
Fox founded the internship program nine years ago.
"It's about introducing students to geriatric populations," she said.
Whether or not i's their specialty, she says all medical professionals in Florida should be trained on senior health care.
"Most of the time our students think of the older adult population as the nursing home population or the population that has dementia and not the population that is interacting with the world," said Dr. Fox. "We still have folks here who are riding their bikes a couple miles a day and walking.They're healthy and they're out there."
Cook says many of the students develop bonds with seniors and stay in contact even after graduating from the program.
"We have only the best I feel that very strongly," said Reba.