TeleHealth breaking aged care barriers

Gone are the days where the only option for an aged care resident was to visit a specialist in a distant location for a medical appointment.

TeleHealth, a video consultation system, provides a practical alternative to face-to-face appointments. Orana Lutheran Complex has embraced utilising the technology to make residents’ lives easier.

The technology enables a specialist such as a psychiatrist to sit in front of a computer in one location and the resident can watch a computer screen in a different location.

TeleHealth aims to remove some of the barriers to accessing medical services for Australians who have difficulty getting to a specialist, or live in rural and remote areas. Anyone with a Medicare number is eligible to apply.

Orana general manager Richard Fahy says the facility is one of the first aged care services in Australia to start using TeleHealth.

“One of the main benefits for residents was being able to access specialists Australia-wide without getting tired and distressed and that was the main appeal for us,” he says.

“It’s not bound by geography so we can set up meetings with specialists in Sydney if we like.

“TeleHealth equates to less traveling time, less stress and anxiety on families, less pressure on us to organise specialist appointments and better access to general practitioners to provide better care pathways.”  

Orana director of nursing, Anne Gunn, says she is impressed by consultations using this technology.

“The resident could see the doctor on the screen and found the session quite easy to follow. Even though she has dementia it didn’t create confusion,” she says. 

“In aged care, it is certainly of benefit if GPs come on board and are open to this type of consultation.”

Australian College of Rural and Remote Medicine Strategic programs manager, Vicki Sheedy, says she feels pleased Orana is at the forefront of the aged care sector in terms of TeleHealth.

“It is so good to see a rural aged care service at the forefront of adapting to and adopting new technology to improve the care of the residents,” she said.

RDNS recently launched similar technology to Orana’s. Read DPS News’ story published last week to learn more.