New research has come out indicating that most older adults don’t think that telehealth is a good option when it comes to their healthcare. They would much prefer to speak directly with their doctor than they would attend a telehealth appointment over the computer or phone.
The technology for telehealth and video appointments to take place in a trustworthy and secure fashion existed prior to 2020, but it wasn’t until the pandemic hit full swing in early 2020 that the majority of doctors and individuals embraced that this technology had the potential for appointments to occur without someone leaving their home. Additionally, time has indicated that these kinds of appointments can be much less expensive than their in-person counterparts often are.
Additionally, there are a number of services being hailed as “direct to patient” services that help to streamline certain types of medical services. This covers things like mental health medications, sexual health and wellness meds, and other areas of healthcare. We’ve seen companies like Amazon embrace these kinds of services, too. Shipping out medications through a third party source instead of through a pharmacy is a popular way amongst younger crowds.
While these are widely used by many younger folk, older adults tend to avoid them. The recently published study found that only 7.5 percent of people between the ages of 50 and 80 have tried these services. People between 50 and 64 were more than twice as likely to have used these services than people aged 65 to 80.
This leaves a huge gap when it comes to these online services’ ability to serve older adults. And it has nothing to do with the quality of the service. Rather, it points to the importance of utilizing a service that is trusted. The fact is, seniors are not familiar with these services or how they might be beneficial to them. It means that in-person services need to be prioritized for older people, even if it isn’t quite as convenient for the providers offering those services.
I say it all the time on this blog: “what’s right for one family isn’t always going to be right for everyone.” While there are certain benefits to telehealth and virtual doctors’ appointments, they aren’t always going to be the best option for everyone. For people that have not grown up with a device in their hands or are not comfortable with newer technology in general, virtual appointments aren’t going to have the same positive impact that they will on younger people. This happens for a variety of reasons, but the bottom line is that if it isn’t going to be effective, in-person appointments are needed.
When it comes to in-person senior care, we’re here to help you and answer your questions. In-home care is what we do–our trained professional caregivers are some of the best in the world. If you would like to learn more about who we are, what we do, or how it might be able to help your family with your unique set of circumstances, please get in touch. We’re always happy to talk more.
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