Tag Archives: senior health

10 Ways Telemedicine Can Revolutionize Nursing Home Care

  1. Cut Medicaid costs – currently the CMS is spending millions and millions of wasted dollars on readmission and extended hospital stays of nursing home patients which could be more comfortably and affordably handled with in-house telemedicine care in place. Readmission rates drive up the costs of Medicaid for patient, hospital and facility.
  2. Less Hospital Congestion – DocChat serves as an excellent triage system for nursing home patients. Via video conferences, our first rate physicians can determine if the patient needs to go to the hospital or if their care can be handled by telemedicine monitoring. This will lead to less patients sent to the ER, which can largely decrease hospital congestion which is a big problem countrywide.
  3. Decreased germ exposure – germs of a hospital environment are not only dangerous to the elderly but can be downright deadly, as senior citizens fall under the immunocompromised category of the population.
  4. Less wasted resources – With less unnecessary trips to the hospital, nursing homes can save on staff resources (less staff will have to accompany residents to the hospital if they receive their care via telemedicine), as well as saving on hospitalization costs and travel costs associated with transporting the patient to and fro.
  5. Comfort and safety of residents – Telemedicine allows the elderly residents to receive up to 78% of their care in the comfort and safety of their own room. Talk about convenience and piece of mind!
  6. Round the clock care – DocChat offers 24/7 care, 365 days a year. This allows residents to contact one of our board certified physicians any time day or night, whenever the troubling symptoms strike.
  7. Provides better follow-up care – Patients can speak with their attending doctor as much as they wish for up to a week after their initial video consultation. This can be a great feature for senior citizens in case they forgot a question during the consultation, or if any complications arise after speaking with the doctor.
  8. Handles prescription adjustments – DocChat can easily adjust prescriptions as needed as well as prescribe (non opiate) medications if needed and have them sent directly to the patient’s facility.
  9. Eliminates wait-times – The citizens won’t have to wait in germy ER waiting rooms when it comes to telemedicine, appointments are virtually instantaneous. Cutting down on wait times is a big convenience for elderly people, as it can be very uncomfortable for them to wait in clinics to receive their care.
  10. Proven success – DocChat in particular got its start working with senior citizens in nursing homes, and have had a positive impact on the quality and availability of care at the centers we work with.

You can visit DocChat for more information about our involvement with nursing homes. Thanks for visiting DocChat! We hope you’ll be back again soon.
 

Tips For Happy, Healthy Aging

Americans have a longer lifespan than ever before however, chronic disease rates are through the roof. The centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated over 133 million American adults live with such chronic conditions as diabetes, arthritis or cardiovascular disease. It is important to shift the focus from “how can I live to an old age?” to “How can I live more comfortably and healthily in old age?”. So what are some things elderly people can do to better their quality of life?

  1. Exercise: many people believe as they age that they should give up exercise regimens and just take it easy. Research contradicts this, getting routine exercise is likely to ease the aging process. It can help with ailments such as arthritis, prevent bone loss, keep the heart healthy, keep the brain healthy, among many other benefits. This doesn’t have to mean crunching barbells at the gym, it could mean bike riding, swimming, power walking or yoga. It is never too late to start!
  2. Practice hobbies: It is important to continue doing the things you love as you age, if certain hobbies become difficult because of arthritis or another obstacle, find a new passion. Hobbies can add a spice to life that can help people of all ages, especially the elderly. If you love painting, set up a small studio space in your home and make sure you carve at least an hour a day out for your passion.
  3. Stretching: The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that older people should make stretching part of their daily routine. It can help increase flexibility and help with pain-related conditions such as arthritis or fibromyalgia. Keeping the joints limber can help them from starting to seize and tense up over time.
  4. Being social: As we age it is important to maintain social connections and do social activities to stay happy and healthy. Keeping in touch with family members and old friends is a good idea as well as it can prevent isolation or depression which can only worsen quality of life and existing medical conditions in the elderly. If you are married, step out together a couple times a week with friends. If you are single, continue dating. Enjoying a bustling social life can add years to your life.
  5. Following a ‘Mediterranean’ style diet: Consisting of lots of fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains and healthy fats like those found in many fatty fishes, the Mediterranean diet has been linked to longevity and heart health.
  6. Staying positive: There have been various studies done on positive patients having much better health outcomes than negative patients. The bottom line of all the research so far suggests an optimistic outlook may get you much farther in life, and improve quality of life more than someone who grumbles on the regular.
  1. Regular screenings: Be sure to visit your doctor regularly and participate all the necessary screenings to ensure you are in good health and there is no new medical trouble brewing. This will help you detect conditions like cancer or heart issues before they become too serious. Too many people toss preventative healthcare aside and neglect regular checkups, this can have devastating results.

There you have it, a few of our favorite general healthy aging tips! Stay tuned for more on senior health in the future. For older adult exercise resources click here. Thanks for visiting DocChat! If you have any questions about your health, feel free to sign up and start a video consultation today with one of our highly qualified DocChat physicians!