Telemonitoring in Rural Elder Nutrition Centers
Center Post
Pilot feasibility study to establish the ground work for examination of community-based centers as a venue for nurse-managed telehealth.
LeadingAge Center for Applied Research conducted a pilot feasibility study to establish the ground work for examination of community-based centers as a venue for nurse-managed telehealth. Community-Based Telemonitoring for Hypertension Management: Practical Challenges and Potential Solutions summarizes the practical considerations related to operations and logistics of this pilot study.
This article reviews the technological challenges encountered during the study and proposes solutions relevant to future research and implementation of telehealth in community-based, congregate settings.
Older adults residing in rural areas often lack convient, patient-centered, community-based approaches to facilitate receipt of routine care to manage common chronic conditions. Without adequate access to appropriate disease management resources, the risk of seniors' experiencing acute events related to these common conditions increases substantially and are costly.
Novel, telehealth-based approaches to management of common chronic conditions like hypertension may not only improve the health of older adults, but may also lead to substantial cost savings associated with acute care episodes and institutionalization.