How Telemedicine Can Enhance Post-Hospital Recovery for Seniors
Post-hospital care and telemedicine helps seniors recover better and faster after a hospital stay.
Telemedicine has become a vital tool in healthcare, particularly for seniors who are recovering at home following a hospital visit. As part of the post-hospital care plan, many seniors will need to navigate how to attend follow-up appointments and physical therapy, as well as deal with new medications. Telemedicine provides a solution by allowing seniors to communicate with medical specialists without leaving their homes, decreasing stress and perhaps speeding up their recovery.
Continue reading to learn how telemedicine, including remote consultations and virtual physical therapy sessions, helps seniors recover better while providing convenience and improved post-hospital care coordination.
Convenience and Accessibility
One of the most significant advantages of telemedicine for seniors is the convenience it provides. After being discharged from the hospital, seniors frequently require follow-up appointments to monitor their rehabilitation. However, getting to the doctor’s office can be difficult, especially for individuals with mobility challenges, limited transportation, or diseases that make travel hazardous, such as impaired immune systems.
Telemedicine allows seniors to communicate with their healthcare professionals from the comfort of their own homes via phone or video calls, ensuring they receive the post-hospital care and treatment they require without the physical and emotional burden of traveling.
Remote Consultation and Monitoring
Post-hospital care also frequently requires regular visits with physicians to assess progress, manage medications, and change treatment plans. Telemedicine allows these discussions to take place remotely, saving time and reducing disturbance to the senior’s recuperation schedule. Physicians can perform virtual examinations, examine vital signs, and provide medical advice in real-time, ensuring that seniors receive early care if concerns emerge.
Remote monitoring via telemedicine can also save the lives of seniors suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, or respiratory difficulties. Devices that monitor vital signs such as blood pressure, oxygen levels, and glucose levels can send information to healthcare specialists, allowing for early intervention if abnormal readings are found. This proactive post-hospital care helps seniors avoid hospital readmissions and stay on the road to recovery.
Medication Management
Managing medications is an important part of post-hospital care, as many seniors leave the hospital with new medication or different dosages than when they entered the hospital. Telemedicine allows for regular and timely consultations with pharmacists or doctors to assess prescriptions, discuss side effects, and make any required changes.
Seniors and their family members or skilled nurses can also gain advice on optimal dosing and scheduling, lowering the chance of prescription errors, which are common among older persons.
Virtual Physical Therapy
Many seniors rely on physical therapy to recover from hospital stays, particularly after surgery, such as hip replacements or heart treatments. Virtual physical therapy sessions allow seniors to continue their recovery at home, with professional therapists guiding them via video chats. These sessions can be equally as successful as in-person visits, as therapists demonstrate exercises and correct form in real-time.
Mental Health Support
Recovery is more than simply physical; emotional well-being is essential for healing. Telemedicine now includes mental health services, allowing seniors to receive counseling and therapy sessions virtually. Post-hospital recovery can be daunting, and treating anxiety, depression, or feelings of isolation is essential for general wellness.
Telemedicine has the potential to transform post-hospital care for seniors, allowing them to successfully rehabilitate well at home by providing easy access to healthcare specialists, medication administration, virtual physical therapy, and more.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Post-Hospital Care in Lake Forest, IL, contact the caring staff at Companion Services of America today at (847) 948-0860. Our home care service area includes Northbrook, Highland Park, Deerfield, Glenview, Buffalo Grove, Evanston, Des Plaines, Skokie, Lake Forest, Wilmette, and the surrounding areas.
Sources:
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1386505622000235
- https://vervecollege.edu/benefits-of-telehealth-for-older-adults/
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/benefits-of-telemedicine
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