Gerard Stevens

00:15

S1 (Speaker 1)

On Vision Australia Radio. This is Vision Extra with Peter Greco.

S2

It's great to welcome to the program. Gerard Stephens AM from Webster Care CEO for Webster Care. Always great to catch up.

S3

Thank you, Peter. It's always great to catch up with you. Now you've got.

S2

Some very good news, particularly for people who might have low vision. Tell us about your is this your newest product?

S3

It's not my newest, but it's something that has particular relevance to people with low vision. Peter People would be familiar with the Webster Pack, which is used by many, many, many people throughout Australia, where the pharmacist places the medication into a blister sheet which has got four columns representing the four dosage times and seven rows which represent the seven days of the week. And this is prepared by the pharmacist, according to whatever the medication profile is that you are taking. And we wanted to make sure that this really corresponded to people who were had low vision. And so we put Braille dots down the side. 

And then I visited Vision Australia at their Burwood office and we were discussing the relevance of this design to a person in a with low vision. And they said that a person with low vision benefits from a black background with white printing, you know, for people with low vision who can just make that out. And then they pointed out the fire extinguisher in the facility and it was black with the word fire in white printed on the outside. And even the exit sign that emergency exit with the little person running black with white writing. And I thought, wow, that that makes a huge amount of sense. So I produced this card, this folder, which is a black and a printing on it, is white, upper and lower case. And even they pointed out to me it's even important that you have upper and lower case as opposed to just all capitals. 

So this is what the Webster Pack LV Pack is for. It's to assist people who have low vision. And all the motivation is, of course, is to be helping people get the most out of the medication they're taking and with the least inconvenience and the most reliability. Because when you go to your doctor and the doctor's prescribed medication, the doctors, assuming that you have taken all your medication according to his or her instructions, and we've had some spectacular results where people who have been irregular with their medication and, you know, doctors are really, really frustrated have suddenly their blood pressure has been under control. And the only difference is that they're actually taking the medication the way the doctor prescribed. So that's that's what I just I love those sort of stories. And it makes everything that I do absolutely worthwhile when you know that you're having a positive impact like that.

S2

Gerard, we've been speaking to you for years and you've got such a great brain as far as wanting to help people goes. But when you get feedback like from organisations like Vision Australia who have got that lived experience, I mean you've got the ideas, you've got the way to help people, but then when you get that kind of final touch to it, to really make it very accessible, very user friendly, that's kind of the complete item, isn't it?

S3

It is. And when I look at this pack and I've got one in front of me here and I look at it and I don't sort of look at it and say, Oh, I wish I'd done this or I wish I'd done that. It's done. And that's how it is for me. When it's done, it's done and it's used. Look, this is used for people who really get the most out of it. They love it. And even actually I've had feedback where some nurses in residential aged care, in nursing homes, they like it because when they're giving out the medication late in the evening and the lights are dimmed, they can actually make out the the days of the week and the times of the day more clearly. And that was an unexpected feedback I got from somebody as to, you know, why that meant something to them. But at the end of the day, the whole purpose of this is to get the most benefit out of the medication and for people to get the the best health they can get from taking their medication.

04:57

S2

Now, obviously, when it comes to health, we talk about the individual. It says get caught up with numbers. But at the end of the day, it's the individual that we're all wanting to help and have. The best result. But we have to talk about numbers because is something like over well over 500,000 people in Australia are living with low vision and a lot of them are over 65.

S3

Well, that's right. And these are numbers that, you know, when you think of that as a percentage of the population. These are huge numbers, Peter. And look, I just have the greatest admiration for people who have low vision, who manage, and they have all sorts of strategies I know, as to how they can manage and they manage also with the support of their families. I feel very, you know, very strongly for those people who have these. And, you know, the least I can do is try to do my little bit and helping them with their medication.

S2

We can all be a little bit stubborn, a little bit, and I don't need this sort of help. I'm okay. But when you get something like this in your life that it just makes it a little bit easier. Just takes a little bit of stress off you. And of course, it's a great point. I mean, if you've got parents or grandparents in that age group or with low vision kind of helps you out a bit as well. You can maybe literally sleep a bit better at night. You know, Peter.

S3

You just hit the nail on the head because people if you said to someone, look, think you'd benefit from this Webster pack and it's a low vision pack. No, no, don't need that. I'm fine. I'm managing my medication. And if if you can ever figure out the secret of how to convince people to give it a go, let me know. Because once a person does use it, they love it. But getting them over that line and generally it's not the person themselves who is, you know, they're not the people we're really after, the person that's supporting them, that can support them in their daily life, or they're worried about them getting mixed up with that medication. And then fortunately for us, when a person does agree, then there's usually predictably that they find it really comforting and it continues. 

And look, we had a situation where a surgeon who type A personality, you know, used to giving orders and people, you know, just doing what they're told and of order. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And the daughter wanted him to. No, no, no. I don't need that. And the daughter, she's a CEO of a major company and eventually persuaded him and he switched from being no, no, no to like there really was helping him and it look so, you know, it's not just the individual that's using it. It is the people around them that care. And you really did just raise a very interesting point about getting people just past that. So, you know, one of the best ways to do that is to talk to your pharmacist about it. Pharmacists are really there to assist you with your medication. And if you talk about the Webster pack, LV, the LV low vision and not every pharmacist using it because they don't all have people who benefit from it would benefit, but they only have to call this. And you know, majority of pharmacies in Australia are now using a Webster pack. So it's very easily accessible. And and it just looks, you know, it's very practical and it just helps people. So yeah, it's exciting.

S2

Yeah. We talked about, you know, the doctor being a bit frustrated on prescribing this medication. It should be working and it isn't, and the pharmacists should fall into the same category. I mean, you know, you're going back to the pharmacy and they're maybe not getting the results that they'd like to see as well. So something as simple as this can literally change your life. And as I say, the lives of those around you because have a nice we've got enough stress in our lives if we can just be a bit more comfortable about.

S2

The fact that our parents, our grandparents, our neighbours are taking the medication the right way because of something like this, we're all going to be a bit happier and a bit more comfortable with life about it.

S3

It's right. And we've had stories when two pharmacists that actually work for me were relating the stories about close relatives and the this girl's mother was visiting her mother every week and they would spend quite a bit of time sorting out the pills and putting them into a plastic tray, you know, plastic box. And but instead of enjoying the company, it was spent doing something that could have they could have spent time out in the garden or gone for a coffee. And this is exactly what happened afterwards. Once the medication was being looked after in the Webster pack by the pharmacist, they were able to spend quality time together. And look, you know, you don't even think of those things when you think of this, But these are stories that just resonated with me as well. Well, there's.

09:58

S2

Well, there's more to life than just organising your tablet regime for the week, isn't there?

S3

It doesn't. Look, my wife. And I are going overseas on Monday, next week to a conference, and we'll be taking our medication packed into a Webster pack, because once we do that one, we get through customs. No problems at all because they know that it's been properly packed. Huge benefit. And then we don't get confused. So whenever we travel, you know, whether you've taken your tablets or not, and when you're tired and you're exhausted and you're traveling, you know, if you were taking it out of bottles or blisters, you just very quickly lose track. So if it's important enough for the doctors to prescribe it for you, it's important enough for you to take it. And it's it's a good opportunity for you to speak to your pharmacist and have them talk to you about the Webster Pack. 

So we're going around Australia and the radio network and the network and associated stations. So generally it doesn't matter where you live in terms of if you're in Australia, if you contact your pharmacy, well, you can probably point them in the right direction in a way.

S2

Can you? 

S3

Well, we can actually you know, on our website we do have a pharmacy locator where if you enter your postcode, it will tell you the pharmacies in your area that are actually providing a Webster pack. So people might find that useful. And it's just simply WebsterCare.com.

S2

That are you. Well I live in the suburbs of South Australia and there's I was going to say million that's probably slightly exaggerated but there's lots of pharmacies around. So if the one that you go to doesn't cater for your needs, maybe change your pharmacist. But that's just general advice.

S4

I won't do that.

S2

The trouble here, Gerard, you're getting into trouble, right?

S3

That's right. People could be listening. Peter Heaven forbid I... 

S2

Gerard If people want to find out more, there's also a phone number, a lot of people like to use the good old fashioned telephone. So you've also got a number that people can call a national number.

S3

Yes, it's 1800 254 381.

S2

1800 254 381. We'll put that up on our Facebook page.

S3

Okay. And if they did want to send an email, it's info at Webster-dot-com.

S2

Just remind us the name of the product or the little pack or the pack that you're talking about. It's got its own specific name.

S5

It does, it's Webster Pack LV and the LV is low vision, LV Webster Pack.

S2

And I like the fact that people like Blind Cities Australia and Virgin Australia have been on board with giving input into this design, which is great. Jo Enjoy. Trip away. I thought you say you going away for holidays, but I don't think you have holidays. You're always on the go. I can't wait to find out what your next invention is because you would be one of the people that would be 3:00 in the morning. You've got a new idea.

S3

Thank you, Peter. That kind of describes it for me.

S2

It does. Okay. 

13:05

S2

There he goes. That said Gerard.Stevens. Gerard is the CEO for Webster Care. That is it for the program. If you've missed some of them, if you'd like to hear it again, you can search for Witch extra on the iTunes store on Spotify or your favorite podcast service.