One of the most exciting newer developments in the world of senior care is the use of telemedicine. This is defined as medical advice or an examination that takes place remotely through the use of video conferencing and other electronic examination devices. It is revolutionary because it allows seniors to get help without needing to leave their homes. Because many seniors do have difficulty getting around, this has a lot of potential to help more people live healthier lives if it’s used correctly.
The big question that many are asking at this point is, has it been used effectively up until now?
A handful of companies based out of Baltimore are seeking to figure this out. Senior Helpers, Curavi Health, and Capital Coordinated Medicine have been working in conjunction to examine just how effective telemedicine can be.
This was a pilot study, so it was just the first stage in figuring out how effective telemedicine can be. 33 seniors took part in the study. They found that telemedicine reduced costs to these seniors by about 40 percent and saved several of them costly trips to the emergency room as health problems could be identified more easily thanks to the use of telemedicine.
So far, this appears to be very promising.
Of course, there are times where telemedicine just isn’t enough. However, as a preventative measure, it has shown that it can be quite powerful. This trend is expected to grow in the coming years. It is likely that it will be widely used in the coming years as the number of seniors in the U.S. grows.
Telemedicine is just one tool out there that can help your elderly loved ones to live a better life. And even if telemedicine isn’t the route that your family goes, technology still has the potential to improve your elderly family members’ lives. Better communication with loved ones and better access to information both have the potential to improve the mental health of your older family members. This is true even if there is no current need for senior care. Just being more closely connected to people that you care about has the potential to make you happier. And isn’t that precisely what your elderly loved ones deserve in their senior years?
If you have questions about how in-home care can help contribute to that happiness, give us a call. Our professional in-home caregivers are trained to help meet the needs of elderly individuals so that they can stay in their homes for longer and enjoy their lives the way that they are accustomed to. This, coupled with other things–including telemedicine–can go a long way toward improving the quality of life of your entire family.
Telemedicine can be helpful, but as this study points out, only if it’s used right. That means that it isn’t a replacement for other types of help, but a supplement to those things. Let us know if we can help you get started helping your loved one find all of the assistance that they need.
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