Whether you need home healthcare after an acute illness or require ongoing assistance, choosing agencies that integrate technology can offer you several benefits. Improved access to care and consistency are among the advantages of integrating technology. More agencies are seeing the benefits of adopting different technologies.
Remote Cardiac Monitoring
Cardiovascular problems are a common problem among people who need medical assistance at home. More medical facilities are integrating some form of remote cardiac monitoring to improve patient success and provide better warning systems for their caregivers. When caregivers are able to monitor the cardiac output of their clients, they are better able to notice changes in cardiac function before the problem escalates to a catastrophic cardiovascular event.
Cardiac monitoring is ideal for patients who have recently had some type of cardiac surgery, such as bypass, stents, or pacemakers. Since the patient's home healthcare team can monitor their client's cardiac function remotely, the client can return home sooner and avoid unnecessarily long hospital stays.
Telemedicine
Telemedicine is not a new technology, but more home healthcare agencies are making use of the technology to give clients better ongoing care and access to healthcare providers. When clients have the appropriate technology at home, such as internet and a web camera, they can continue to interact with their caregiver even when they have left for the day. Many people need some amount of in-home care, but not continuously. This leaves plenty of hours during the day when they may have questions or other concerns that may not rise to level of an emergency.
With telemedicine, patients can speak with a caregiver and possibly show them a problem. In some cases, a nurse practitioner or doctor may handle their concerns. When medical professionals are available to address client problems, the use of telemedicine can decrease the time between noticing a problem and accessing treatment. For minor problems, a nurse practitioner or doctor can write a new prescription or modify an existing medication and have it sent to the pharmacy.
Medication Monitoring
More home healthcare agencies are finding ways to make it easier for clients to take their medications and keep a consistent schedule. There are two major concerns regarding medication. Skipping doses of medication can be life-threatening, especially for medications involving diabetes, respiratory ailments, or cardiac function. Additionally, unintentional overdoses can happen when clients forget whether or not they took their medicine. Unfortunately, the results can be deadly. Improved technology can minimize some of the medication problems, especially for clients who do not need 24/7 care.
Technology is increasingly important in the field of home healthcare. With its use, more people are able to stay out of the hospitals or nursing homes and spend more time living at home with minor assistance.
Share24 June 2016
Seniors are like any other specialized group of people. They need services specific to their needs. Everything from nutrition to housekeeping to travel is different for seniors, and the services they receive should reflect that. I am a mental health care provider, and I work exclusively with people over the age of 65. My goal is to help educate the general population about the special needs of seniors and to inspire people to make their homes, businesses and lives more acceptable to the older generations. Seniors deserve our care and attention, and I hope that I can show others how to provide it.