Pharmacy services for older Australians and their carers

How can a pharmacy help an older person with their medicines?

Pharmacies run several government-funded services that help people manage their medicines at home. The main ones are dose aids, which sort the medicines for you, and reviews, where a pharmacist checks the whole list for problems.

Most of them are free, or subsidised, for people who are eligible. Ask at the pharmacy the person uses, or their GP.

What is a dose administration aid?

A dose administration aid is a sealed, tamper-evident pack with each dose set out by day and time of day, as the prescriber directed. People often call them blister packs or Webster-paks. The pharmacy packs the medicines for you each week, so there’s nothing to sort at home.

The government subsidises dose aids for people who:

• hold a Medicare or DVA card and a concession card, such as a Pensioner Concession Card or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
• live at home, not in an aged care home or hospital
• have trouble managing their medicines because of language, a disability or memory problems, or take five or more prescription medicines and find them hard to manage.

Each pharmacy is funded for a set number of packs a week, and can charge for packs outside the program. Veterans may get dose aids through the DVA’s own program instead.

What is a Home Medicines Review?

A Home Medicines Review is a visit at home from a pharmacist with extra accreditation, who goes through every medicine the person takes. The pharmacist then writes a report for their doctor, with recommendations, and the doctor and patient use it to plan their medicines. A carer can take part.

It’s free for people with a Medicare or DVA card who live at home, but it needs a referral. A GP, or certain specialists such as a specialist physician or palliative care specialist, refers the person when they’re at risk of problems with their medicines. If needed, the pharmacist comes back for up to two follow-up visits.

One review every 24 months is usual, sooner if the person’s health or medicines change a lot.

What’s the difference between a MedsCheck and a Home Medicines Review?

A MedsCheck happens in the pharmacy and doesn’t need a referral. A pharmacist sits down with the person for a one-on-one review of their medicines. It’s free for people living at home who take five or more prescription medicines, have recently had a significant change in their health, or take a medicine with a high risk of side effects.

A Home Medicines Review happens at home, needs a referral, and ends with a report to the doctor. A funded MedsCheck isn’t available within 12 months of another MedsCheck or a Home Medicines Review.

What about medicines in an aged care home?

People living in an aged care home can’t get funded dose aids, MedsChecks or Home Medicines Reviews. Instead, their doctor can ask for a Residential Medication Management Review: a pharmacist with extra accreditation reviews all their medicines at the home and reports to the doctor, with up to two follow-ups.

Some aged care homes also have a pharmacist working on site, funded by the government’s Aged Care On-site Pharmacist program, to check medicines are used safely and give advice to residents and staff. Ask the home whether it has one.

For help at home before that point, such as home care or an aged care assessment, contact My Aged Care on 1800 200 422.

How can a carer help with someone’s medicines?

• Collecting scripts. With an eScript, the person forwards their token to you, and you show it at the pharmacy. How eScripts and the Active Script List work explains tokens, repeats and the list that lets a pharmacy keep track of their scripts.
• Going along to reviews. You can sit in on a MedsCheck or Home Medicines Review and ask your own questions.
• Getting support yourself. Carer Gateway (1800 422 737) offers free services and support for carers.

Can the pharmacy deliver?

Some pharmacies deliver medicines, which helps when the person can’t get out. Send the eScript token ahead so the medicine is ready. To find one, look up pharmacies near you or browse pharmacies by state and ring to ask.

Can they pay less for their medicines?

Two things help with the cost of medicines taken long term. The PBS Safety Net counts the whole family’s spending on PBS medicines, and once it’s reached, each script costs $7.70, or nothing with a concession card, for the rest of the year (from 1 January 2026): what a PBS prescription costs in 2026 has the figures. And for some medicines, a 60-day prescription gives twice the medicine on one script, which means fewer trips to the pharmacy.