Pharmacy Career, Resource & Training with Kavita Nadan

Loneliness in Plain Sight: Simple Signs Your Pharmacy Team Can Detect

2 months ago

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In this episode of Pharmacy View Podcast’s Pharmacy Career, Resource & Training stream, host Kavita Nadan, Pharmacist and Founder at Locumate is joined by Jenny Kirschner, a Pharmacist and the Founder of Pharmacy Addressing Loneliness and Social-isolation (PALS). Jenny reflects on their unique career journey and the pivotal moments that inspired them to address the widespread issue of loneliness, particularly in healthcare settings. They explain how, despite some initial uncertainty in their Pharmacy career, they eventually carved out a meaningful path that prioritises authentic connection and patient care. Jenny’s story is a reminder that Pharmacists can bring their natural talents and passions into their work, creating impactful opportunities for both personal and professional growth.

Pharmacy View Podcast · EP 105 – Pharmacy View Podcast -Loneliness in Plain Sight:Simple Signs Your Pharmacy Team Can Detect

Jenny shares insights into some of the creative ventures they’ve spearheaded, including “Mother Funkers,” a daytime dance party for mothers and their children. This initiative, designed to combat the isolation many mothers face, provided a joyful and energising space for moms to connect. Jenny’s entrepreneurial spirit also led them into the world of gluten-free chocolate making, an example of how following one’s passions can create unexpected, fulfilling career opportunities. Jenny encourages others to be bold in embracing their true selves, no matter their career path, as it can open doors to new and exciting endeavours.

A significant focus of the conversation is Jenny’s work with PALS, which was inspired by their own experiences with loneliness during their Pharmacy studies and early career. PALS addresses the growing issue of loneliness, a concern that became even more pressing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jenny highlights the crucial role that Pharmacists can play in identifying lonely individuals and advocating for mental health within their communities. Through persistent outreach, Jenny developed a comprehensive training program that equips Pharmacists to address social isolation, helping them create stronger connections with patients and support mental well-being.

Jenny also discusses the development of their accredited online training course, which teaches Pharmacists how to recognise and address loneliness in their patients. Featuring insights from global experts and real-life case studies, the course offers practical tools for Pharmacists to make a difference in their communities. Jenny stresses that Pharmacists, because of their close and frequent interactions with patients, are ideally placed to address social isolation, often through simple, yet meaningful, gestures. This course underscores the powerful impact Pharmacists can have on the lives of their customers beyond just filling prescriptions.

As the episode wraps up, Jenny shares plans for the next 12 to 18 months, including a much-needed break to recharge and a national awareness campaign to further address loneliness. They invite others who share this passion to join the campaign and share their stories, emphasising the importance of collaboration and community support. Jenny’s reflections on balance and well-being, both in personal life and professional ambitions, serve as a valuable reminder that taking care of oneself is just as important as the work being done to care for others. This episode highlights the evolving role of Pharmacists and the growing need to address social isolation in healthcare.

Topics Covered

Jenny Kirschner’s Career Journey
Pharmacy Addressing Loneliness and Social-isolation (PALS)
Entrepreneurial Ventures (“Mother Funkers” and gluten-free chocolate)
Training Programs on Addressing Loneliness in Pharmacy
Recognizing Loneliness in Pharmacy Practice
Future Plans and National Campaign on Loneliness

Key Quotes (Time Stamps)

“The book, I think would be about me not letting go of your natural qualities and inclinations that you can actually bring to the Pharmacy industry and finding the right way to bring those to life and to contribute.” (5:37 – 5:54)

“For me, addressing loneliness is kind of ushering in a movement of something that hasn’t been done before.” (6:08 – 6:13)

“And it doesn’t always give the mothers what they’re craving, which is kind of expression and a bit of high energy joy. So, I thought, you know what, I’m going to create what I wanted, which was a daytime dance party for mums, where their babies can come along. And it was called Mother Funkers.” (7:29 – 7:48)

“When you think about that what I was actually doing was creating community, creating a local community, addressing a need, which is that mums can often be very isolated and lonely and not in community or not being able to do the hobbies or things that make them feel like themselves.” (8:13 – 8:29)

“So, my advice—I would love to give everybody permission to experiment and be bold and be themselves. I really feel like that’s an important part of the journey of somebody’s professional career—is to hold on to some authentic natural skills and talents and interest and passions.” (9:42 – 10:03)

“That was the journey that really started from my experiences of loneliness and just this long-term feeling that I felt like I needed to do something about this.” (13: 17 – 13:27)

“So, for those people who aren’t the Pharmacists, I’ve got to tell you, so many people said to me, but hold on, why Pharmacy? And then when you explain it, the penny drops that Pharmacy is not about dispensing medication. It’s about a relationship with patient, it’s about building community. Then, it makes a lot of sense.” (15:50 – 16:06)

“Loneliness is a now WHO health priority. It is a massive issue. One in three Australians experience loneliness, one in six experience severe loneliness. This is common. It’s also very human.” (18:47 – 19:00)

“A really important point here is that loneliness is subjective. And what that means is it’s a feeling and you can’t always see it compared to something, for example, like social isolation, which is the number of friends or people that you engage with.” (22:44 – 21:00)

“We can be very much involved in the health promotion around the fact that loneliness impacts health. But social connection is protective of health. It’s very much a—we talk about healthy eating; we talk about healthy exercise; we should also be talking about the importance of healthy social connections just as a business-as-usual conversation.” (24:04 – 24:24)

“I guess what I’ve learned is to stay focused on and always reconnect with the cause and what I’m trying to support and address and be less attached to the solution, but be happy to go on the journey.” (25:44 – 25:58)

Important Time Stamps

Creating Authentic Connections in Healthcare: Jenny Krischner’s Journey (3:40 – 6:29)
Mother Funkers: The Daytime Dance Party Bringing Moms Together! (6:50 – 10:33)
From Personal Struggles to Community Impact: Jenny’s Journey with PALS (10:34 – 13:31)
From Isolation to Connection: Empowering Pharmacists to Address Loneliness (14:13 – 20:20)
Empowering Pharmacy Staff to Combat Loneliness (20:21 – 24:29)
The Long Road to Success: Understanding the Journey of Entrepreneurship (24:33 – 29:34)
Open to Opportunity: Jenny’s Vision for the Future of PALS (29:42 – 30:53)