Prepare a complete medication and supplement list before a healthspan programme, and ask who will review it. The purpose is to understand your current care, identify information relevant to assessment, and clarify responsibilities during the stay. It is not an invitation to stop treatment or create a new regimen yourself. Include prescribed medicines, non-prescription products, and occasional supplements, with the details needed for a clinician or pharmacist to interpret what you actually take.
What belongs on the list?
Record the name, strength, formulation, amount taken, and usual timing of each product. Include medicines used only when needed and products that may feel too ordinary to mention, such as sleep aids, pain relief, herbal preparations, or nutritional powders. A photograph of the packaging can help when the name or ingredients are unclear.
Distinguish what was prescribed from what you currently take. If the two differ, explain the reason honestly. You may have experienced side effects, found the schedule difficult, or misunderstood an instruction. The review is more useful when it reflects reality rather than an ideal version of the prescription list.
Add the purpose of each medicine where you know it and the clinician responsible for it. If you are unsure, note the question rather than guessing. Include relevant allergies and previous adverse reactions, with a description where possible. These details help the programme team understand the existing treatment context before discussing assessments or activities.
Why does a review matter before assessment?
Medicines and supplements can be relevant to symptoms, test interpretation, and the suitability of proposed activities or interventions. The assessing professional needs that information when deciding what is useful and how to interpret findings. A medication list is therefore part of the assessment context, not simply an administrative requirement.
The NHS medication-review resource describes review as an opportunity to discuss what each medicine is for, concerns, and how treatments work together. A residential programme should clarify which professional is responsible for that discussion and how it connects with your usual prescriber.
Ask whether any planned test requires specific preparation. Follow instructions from the responsible clinical service, and clarify any uncertainty before changing your routine. Do not assume that you should fast, omit a dose, or stop a supplement simply because you are attending an assessment. The appropriate preparation depends on the test and your circumstances.
How should supplements be included?
Include all supplements, even when they are marketed as natural, food-based, or intended for general wellness. Some contain several ingredients, and different products may overlap. The label information helps a professional understand the combination rather than relying on a product name alone.
The NCCIH guidance on dietary supplements explains why safety and interactions deserve attention. A product’s availability without prescription does not establish that it is suitable alongside every medicine or condition.
Record why you started each product and whether anyone reviewed that decision. If a supplement was recommended after an earlier test, bring the relevant information where available. Do not add a new collection of products in anticipation of the programme. The initial review may be more useful when the team can understand your existing routine without several recent changes obscuring the picture.
What concerns should you raise openly?
Mention possible side effects, difficulty taking a medicine, uncertainty about its purpose, or problems obtaining a regular supply. Include practical issues such as swallowing, storage, timing around meals, or a schedule that is hard to follow during travel. These are valid parts of a medication discussion.
If you have changed or stopped something already, tell the reviewing professional when and why. They need accurate information to advise appropriately. Avoid presenting a change as having been agreed by a clinician if it was your own decision or the suggestion of a non-clinical adviser.
You can ask whether a medicine remains necessary, whether alternatives exist, and how a review should be conducted. Those questions do not require you to make an immediate change. Any decision to alter prescribed treatment should involve the professional responsible and should account for your individual situation, including the consequences of stopping or reducing it.
Who is responsible during the stay?
Clarify the role of the programme’s medical professionals and the relationship with your usual prescriber. An assessment appointment does not automatically transfer responsibility for ongoing treatment. Ask who can answer medication questions during the stay and what happens if a new concern arises.
If a change is proposed, ask who is making the decision, how the reasons will be explained, and how the information will reach your existing clinician with your authorisation. You should understand any agreed instructions and the follow-up they require before departure.
Practical support with medicines should also be explicit rather than assumed from the quality of the residence. Confirm what assistance, if any, is included and what you remain responsible for managing yourself. A clear scope helps prevent a mismatch between the support a guest expects and what a healthspan programme has actually agreed to provide.
What should you plan for travel?
Discuss supply, storage, and timing with the relevant clinician or pharmacist before travelling. Requirements can depend on the medicine, destination, and journey, so do not rely on a general programme guide as a substitute for individual advice or current travel requirements.
Ask what documentation may be needed and how to obtain it through the appropriate route. Keep the accurate medication list available for the programme team. If a product needs particular storage, confirm practical arrangements rather than assuming the residence or transport can provide them automatically.
If travel disrupts the usual schedule, ask for advice in advance. Do not improvise changes to dose or timing from a general article. The purpose of planning is to make the transition manageable while preserving the treatment instructions that matter for you. Raise any uncertainty early enough for your usual care team and the programme to coordinate where needed.
What should be clear before you return home?
Leave with an updated list if any clinically agreed changes occurred. It should distinguish what continues, what changed, and what needs review. Ask which professional will communicate with your usual clinician and whether you need to arrange an appointment yourself.
Clarify how to obtain further advice if you experience a concern after departure. A recommendation to review a medicine later is not the same as an appointment being booked or a prescriber accepting responsibility. The handover should make these steps explicit.
Keep the plan simple enough to use while retaining the details professionals need. If a written instruction is unclear, ask for clarification before leaving. A useful medication review improves understanding and coordination; it should not leave you managing competing lists or guessing which advice applies once the residential stay has ended.
How can you make the review easier to use?
Prepare a short question list alongside the product list. You might want to understand why a medicine was started, how long it is intended to continue, or which symptoms could be relevant to a side-effect discussion. Prioritise the concerns that affect daily life so they are not lost in administrative detail.
If you want a companion involved, decide what role would help and what information you are comfortable sharing. They might assist with remembering questions or practical arrangements, but their attendance does not remove the need for your own understanding and agreement.
At the end, repeat the agreed instructions in your own words and ask for clarification where needed. Make sure any written plan reflects the conversation. A review is more useful when it leaves you clear about responsibilities and next steps, rather than simply adding another list to the documents you already have.
How SENSES connects the stay with your next steps
SENSES offers a one-week format focused on assessment, interpretation, and priorities, and a two-week format with additional time for supported practice. The scope is agreed individually after review of your history and goals.
Your plan for home should make relevant priorities, referrals, responsibilities, and review points clear. Additional follow-up services are confirmed separately. Bring information about your existing care so that the discussion can address continuity as well as the residential schedule.
