When we think of digital technology, we tend to think of younger individuals using their smartphones and other digital devices. But this line of thinking doesn’t necessarily apply to telehealth or the continuity of care for the elderly. Older generations can use telehealth technology to improve their access to care and reduce the cost of healthcare services.
The number of Americans aged 65 and older is rising quickly. Estimates show this demographic will rise from 46 million today to 98 million by the year 2060. With more elderly patients seeking care, families will have to make difficult decisions when figuring out how to best care for their loved ones.
The cost of a nursing home can be out of reach for many people, which means many families will need to stay at home to care for their loved ones. Telehealth can reduce the burden on these families by lowering the cost of essential healthcare services.
How Telehealth Can Improve Access to Elderly Care
Telehealth gives patients the option to consult with their healthcare provider remotely using live audio and video. Taking it a step further, Gal3n has developed a service that makes it easy to connect remotely, but also includes physical examination - a must have for this age population. Physical examination in the elderly is a necessity when being evaluated by their care provider, every time. This reduces the need for in-person visits and consultations, making it easier for at-home caregivers to meet the needs of their loved ones.
Many of these at-home caregivers will have responsibilities of their own, from raising children to holding down a job. If they can consult with their loved one’s doctor from the comfort of their own home, they won’t have to spend as much time shuttling their loved one to and from the doctor’s office. At-home healthcare providers can quickly gain valuable insight and knowledge from these remote consultations, improving their loved one’s quality of care.
Telehealth can help families and elderly patients in the following ways:
· Reduce the burden and cost of certain travel expenses
· Reduce the number of unnecessary hospital visits
· Reduce the stress put on at-home caregivers
· Improve overall patient satisfaction
Using Telehealth to Care for the Elderly
At-home caregivers can use telehealth to help better manage and treat a range of conditions and diseases that tend to affect older patients. While in many of these cases, in-person visits will still be required, telehealth makes it easier for family caregivers to care for their loved ones by giving them direct access to healthcare professionals.
Telehealth can be used to care for and manage the following conditions and diseases:
· Palliative Care: At-home caregivers can use telehealth to report on the condition of their loved ones as their health continues to deteriorate while receiving valuable feedback and advice from healthcare professionals.
· Chronic Disease Management: Telehealth helps at-home caregivers report on the condition of their loved ones, giving healthcare providers insight into how their disease is progressing overtime. Caregivers can use telehealth to stay on top of medications, dietary information, and mental and physical changes.
· Transitional Care for Heart Failure: At-home caregivers can use telehealth to stay on top of their loved one’s treatment regimen following an episode of heart failure, including dispensing medications, diet, physical activity, and managing stress levels.
· Primary Care for Frail Individuals: Patients that have trouble moving or leaving the house can use telehealth to consult with healthcare professionals on a variety of primary healthcare issues and concerns, including joint pain, muscle stiffness, medications, and accident management and prevention.
· Long term care facilities: Many of the elderly live in long term care facilities and need a myriad of regularly scheduled healthcare provider visits. Most of these can be performed using telehealth - saving money and time, and preferred by both patients and family members.
There are many ways elderly patients and family caregivers can use telehealth to their advantage. Gal3n adds an important variable of care for this age group - physical examination. Digital healthcare reduces the need for in-person appointments, lowers the cost of care, reduces costly visits to the emergency room, and improves patient satisfaction. As more patients reach the age of retirement, more families will need to depend on these services to care for their elderly loved ones.
