Telemedicine is beneficial across all health care settings, but it is considered a widely valuable asset to older adults living in rest homes.
Adopting Telehealth platforms
At the Brookhouse Home, our residents rely on their doctor’s appointments just as many seniors do. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, we quickly realized our seniors were increasingly vulnerable if they lost touch with their primary care physician or specialist. Without delay, we adopted Telehealth platforms in order for our residents to have virtual visits with their physicians. We purchased an additional computer and tablets to enable us to set up telemedicine appointments between our residents and their physicians.
Connecting the patient and doctor from the home
Our nurse can now send any new information about a resident since their last physician appointment and we always include their most recent medication list. The nurse then sets up the technology and connects the patient to the online appointment at the designated time. Depending on safety concerns and each patient’s needs, the nurse may stay with the patient during the virtual visit or they may leave and let the patient visit with the doctor privately.
This new platform for patient visitations is impactful for our residents. “We find that these appointments empower our residents, said Judy Kane, Administrator of the Brookhouse Home. “They are able to speak to their doctor in a familiar setting while our nurse is on hand to discuss any medication changes, or any incremental dietary or lifestyle changes as needed.”
Source of comfort
Having a virtual visit can save patients, families and the staff from the logistics and worry of transporting residents to and from an in-person doctor visit, especially during this pandemic. Many of our ladies like the ease of telemedicine and have also enjoyed learning about and experiencing this new technology. Our Telemedicine program has proved to be highly effective and a real source of comfort to our residents and staff. Our hope is to continue telehealth technology to bridge the gap and provide quality care to our residents.
