Senior Center Medication Safety and Empowerment Curriculum

Team Alice Senior Center Medication Safety and Empowerment Curriculum

Team Alice's Medication Safety and Empowerment Curriculum (MedSEC) helps older adults and caregivers learn how to safely manage medications. Many seniors take multiple medications, which can lead to harmful side effects or unnecessary treatments. This program, developed at the University at Buffalo, will be offered at senior centers in Western New York. It includes two interactive sessions that teach participants how to recognize medication risks and talk with their doctors about safer options. The curriculum uses videos, group discussions, and hands-on tools to build confidence and knowledge. It follows the "4Ms" of Age-Friendly Health Systems: What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility. A "Train-the-Trainer" model will help senior center staff continue the program long-term. The goal is to reduce medication harm, improve communication with healthcare providers, and support healthy aging in the community.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Older Adults; Health Literacy; Knowledge; Caregiver Awareness; Medication and Supplement Use; Empowerment, Patient
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Team Alice Medication Safety and Empowerment Curriculum (MedSEC)

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 125
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • New York
    • Buffalo, New York, United States, 142148033
      • Recruiting
      • University at Buffalo
      • Contact: Robert G Wahler, Doctor of Pharmacy; Phone Number: 7166454777; Email: rgwahler@buffalo.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Robert G Wahler, Doctor of Pharmacy

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 55 years of age and above
• taking prescription medications

Carepartner Inclusion Criteria:

• currently an informal or formal care partner for an eligible patient (regardless of whether they live with or near the patient)
• aged 18 years of age and above

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with cognitive impairment that prevents their self-management of medications.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Evaluate the impact of the MedSEC on patient/care-partner knowledge and activation levels in managing medications through the Patient Activation Measure (PAM)	Study seeks to enhance patient and care-partner activation, reduce polypharmacy and the use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), and improve shared decision-making through the Patient Activation Measure (PAM).	Change from baseline (Day 1), post-program assessment (immediately after educational session 2, Day 7), and 6 months after program completion.
Evaluate the impact of the MedSEC on patient/care-partner knowledge and activation levels in managing medications through the Revised Patient Attitudes Towards Deprescribing (rPATD) questionnaires.	Study seeks to enhance patient and care-partner activation, reduce polypharmacy and the use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs), and improve shared decision-making through the Revised Patient Attitudes Towards Deprescirbing (rPATD) questionnaires.	Change from baseline (Day 1), post-program assessment (immediately after educational session 2, Day 7), and 6 months after program completion.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from Baseline in participant understanding of medication safety risks at 6 Months.	85% of participants will demonstrate an understanding of medication safety risks through pre- and post-program patient/caregiver questionnaires, including the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) and Revised Patient Attitudes to Deprescribing (rPATD). Additional questions pertaining to knowledge retention and actionability will be asked at 6 months.	Change from baseline (Day 1), post-program assessment (immediately after educational session 2, Day 7), and 6 months after program completion.
Participants will demonstrate knowledge of the 4Ms (Age-Friendly Health System) framework through pre/post/6 month follow up questionnaires.	By the end of the program, 80% of participants will demonstate knowledge of the 4Ms framework, measured by four questions related to the 4Ms and the Age-Friendly Health System taken prior to the program, immediately post-program, and 6 months after program completion.	Change from baseline, post-program assessment (immediately after program completion), and 6 months after program completion.
Change in patient engagement as measured by the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) from baseline to 6 months post program.	6 months post-program, 65% of participants will show improved patient engagement, as measured by the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) questionnaire.	Change from baseline (Day 1), post-program assessment (immediately after educational session 2, Day 7), and 6 months after program completion.
Change from baseline in the mean of medications after 6 months follow-up	Within 6 months of completing program, 50% of participants with polypharmacy will have reduced medication usage by 10%. (mean # of medications.)	Change from baseline and 6 months after program completion.

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Post-Survey to Measure Program Impact and Participant Satisfaction	A post-survey questionnaire (immediately after program completion) will be used to assess the program's educational value and determine its effectiveness in increasing medication safety knowledge, empowerment, and patient self-advocacy, as well as participant satisfaction.	Post curriculum session 2 (immediately after educational session 2, Day 7)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: State University of New York at Buffalo
• Collaborators: Health Foundation for Western and Central New York

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): February 1, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 21, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 27, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): September 2, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 2, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 27, 2026
• Last Verified: August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: patient education; patient empowerment; medication safety; older adult; patient knowledge; caregiver education
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Treatment Adherence and Compliance; Health Behavior; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Patient Participation
• Other Study ID Numbers: STUDY00009882; G-202509-02155 (Other Grant/Funding Number: Health Foundation for Western & Central New York)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No