Telehealth in Aged Care – How technology can help

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With the second wave of the pandemic appearing across the world, many people are worried about their relatives in Aged Care facilities. Due to the pandemic, some of the problems which need to be addressed in the Aged Care sector are understaffing, high workloads for existing carers and limited medical supplies. Telehealth is on the rise and is now becoming increasingly important in the Aged Care sector by addressing many of the problems faced by providers. 

Telehealth in Aged Care brings many advantages that will help ease these issues. 

Here are some of the ways it can help:

• Telehealth can help manage elderly patient’s healthcare needs from a distance and keeps them in their own homes for longer. Staying in their own home can help patients stay active and agile, especially for elderly people who live in remote locations.  Being close to family and friends in a comfortable environment with a social safety net should not be underestimated when it comes to Aged Care. With telehealth technology making this possible, it will help take the pressure off Aged Care facilities by limiting admittance to patients who need care and can no longer live by themselves.

• Patient monitoring can be done remotely without the need to travel to see a doctor. This saves time and money, but also makes staff more efficient as they can attend to more patients which results in cost savings for the Aged Care providers.

• Optimising workflows and reducing meeting times. Another area where telehealth has decreased workload is saving staff time spent in meetings, educational events, and case conferences. 

Optimising workflows and helping staff care for aged patients can help save time and lives. Telehealth led to the introduction of new roles for existing staff in about 75% of cases. The “Telehealth coordinator” is an interesting new role which has an administrative component, but also combines clinical roles such as triage or chronic disease management. Some telehealth coordinators may also have an educational role such as training or mentoring rural clinicians. These kind of roles are important to the success of telehealth solutions and if implemented in Aged Care can help the next generation of carers to have a different and more positive experience. 

We should always remember that one day, we all will need help and support.

For more information go to: https://www.visionflex.com.au

Source: Visionflex media release, 5 August 2020

Sector updates are provided by organisations to eHealthNews.nz and have not necessarily been edited or checked for accuracy. Any queries should be directed to the organisation issuing the release.

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