Telemedicine: Yes, the Future is Here & Seniors Can Benefit Greatly

The term “house call” back in the day meant that doctors would come to your home, evaluate you, treat you, pack up and leave. Now, with telemedicine, doctors can do largely the same thing from a distance. This can prove to be greatly beneficial to seniors who live in rural areas, or who find it difficult to get transported to doctor’s offices, or have other mobility issues.  

Also called “telehealth,” this two-way method to medicine creates other benefits, as well.While being a blessing to seniors who can’t get around well, or who live in remote locations, it also benefits those living in assisted living communities. By being in contact with their physician via video, phone, and text, seniors can stay independent longer, instead of having to move into long-term care homes so their health can be more closely monitored. With telemedicine, visits to hospitals are reduced, readmissions are reduced, and prescription costs are reduced. The future for telemedicine is bright, too, there are plans to implement biometric monitors that will allow doctors to receive high-def pictures that their patients will provide to them electronically.

The costs of telemedicine can be pricey. However, the benefits that come from it are too numerous to ignore. Between coordinating better care for seniors, allowing a faster response time to falls, other injuries, and sudden medical issues, and less frequent hospital and ER visits, the program can be invaluable.

What makes telemedicine so exciting is the fact that seniors can truly enjoy their independence in a way that was meant to be – rather than dragging themselves from one doctor’s appointment to the next, they can have the opportunity instead to talk one-on-one with their physician from their phone, their tablet or computer, right from the comfort of their own home.

If you are interested in In-home care in Abbeville, SC, or other types of senior care in Edgefield like assisted living communities in the area, contact Always Best Care Senior Services today.They can be reached at 864-229-1211 or bkapperman@abc-seniors.com.