Many businesses have turned to video chatting software during quarantine to help keep business meetings going while we are in lockdown. The medical profession has done the same, holding a lot of medical appointments over the phone or through chat. This type of care is called telemedicine, and it has big implications when it comes to senior care. By bringing care to the people that need it, rather than going to another location for assistance, seniors that have trouble getting around have a world of possibilities opened up to them.
Telemedicine can help to improve senior health, both physical and mental. When the appropriate technology is used, this can even allow doctors to measure heart rate, blood pressure, and more.
Although it seems like a huge change for most of us, telemedicine has already been around for quite a while. In fact, some have posited that telemedicine is going to be one of the key tools when it comes to helping solve the senior care crisis. There are far more seniors in our country than there have been in the past, and there’s likely to be an even larger number in a few more years. As of right now, there are not quite enough senior care professionals to cover the potential larger number of seniors. That includes doctors, elder attorneys, and caregivers.
To be sure, senior care cannot be comprehensively covered by telemedicine. Even the best Zoom chat is going to leave some gaps in a conversation. That’s certainly one of the biggest things that we’ve learned over the last few weeks of this pandemic. Although Zoom and other video chat software programs can help assist with meetings and enhance communication, it can’t do everything. In some ways, it helps save time, but not in every way.
But the coronavirus pandemic has helped to shed some light on the things that telemedicine can do. For example, insurance companies are a lot more certain that not all appointments need to be held in person. They have also become a lot more accepting of doctors that charge for telemedicine appointments. This is good news for people that want to save money on their medical bills. And because these appointments tend to be shorter and require less staffing, many doctors are even okay with charging less.
Senior care is an immediate need for a lot of families, so not everyone is concerned about the future of telemedicine. We get it. We are here to help with your immediate needs when it comes to senior care. If you have questions about care or how it can benefit your family, we’re here to help. But we also have to think about the future, and you should too. The COVID-19 pandemic is undoubtedly going to change how life goes for all of us, and that goes for senior care, too. We’re trying our best to stay ahead of those changes, and hopefully, by helping educate our readers regarding emerging trends–like telemedicine–we can help you to better help those around you, too.
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