[Alzheimer's disease and pharmacists in contact with the public].

All healthcare professionals are concerned by Alzheimer's disease, which in France will affect, in just a few years, over one million persons, mainly women. Pharmacists have shown particular interest, irrespective of their sector of activity. Here, we wanted to better define the role of colleagues who are constantly in contact with the public, i.e. in France in drug dispensaries and biology laboratories. Within the framework of the French pharmacy committee for health and social education, Cespharm, the Ethics and Communications working group of the 2008-2012 Alzheimer Disease Committee headed by Professor Joël Menard proposed a project worksheet which can be used by French pharmacists in their action to help Alzheimer patients and their caregivers. This project, prepared by Fabienne Blanchet, the Cespharm director and Christine Curty, mission head, was approved by the Menard commission and is inscribed in the National Alzheimer Plan 2008-2012 presented by this commission in November 2007. Here, our objective is to motivate pharmacists to participate in a structured initial and continuing training program proposed by specialists from the School of Pharmacy and other organizations duly approved by the High Committee for Continuing Education in Pharmacy. In keeping with the general operative procedures of Cespharm, information tools should be developed for colleagues and the public. Available interventions, in terms of prevention, diagnosis and treatment should be updated permanently and transmitted to professionals. Information which can be delivered to patients, and most importantly to their caregivers, concerning local assistance programs should be collected and transmitted to the local professionals. The role of the pharmacist can be summarized with four verbs: listen, reassure, orient, support. It is important to identify all available means enabling a confidential relationship with the persons needing help. Of particular interest are the relationship guides which have been developed to help allied professionals adapt their approach to the patient without evoking the diagnosis, which belongs to the medical physician. Finally, we emphasize the importance of the creation of multidisciplinary local networks where healthcare professionals, medicosocial workers, local public authorities, and patient groups and associations can unite their efforts to develop personalized assistance for patients and caregivers. We also mention the evaluation of the actions undertaken, their funding, and the remuneration of colleagues who devote time to these actions. Pharmacists have a special role to play in the assistance for persons suffering from Alzhiemer's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. More than four million persons visit drug dispensaries or biology laboratories every day in France. These persons often confide in our colleagues, sharing their worries and problems related not only to their medical condition, but also to their psychological and social environment. We should provide our colleagues with the necessary means to fulfill their mission of assistance to patients and families suffering from a poorly understood disease. We encourage pharmacists to participate in the major public health action initiated by the President of the Republic and well defined in the Alzheimer Plan 2008-2012.