In the past, we’ve posted articles and referred to telemedicine a handful of times on the Paradise In-Home Care, and based on the research that I’ve done, there’s a lot of potential for telemedicine to deliver great results for patients when it’s done correctly. Along these lines, another published study has indicated that telemedicine can provide high quality results, this time when it comes to the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
According to a study published by the University of Rochester Medical Center in Western New York, telemedicine, or medical appointments conducted over an internet connection, can be just as effective for Parkinson’s patients as in-person appointments are. The study looked at individuals who did not have easy access to a neurologist and found that the internet provided care for them that they may not otherwise have.
While this is certainly an exciting piece of news, it’s important that we make a distinction between medical advice or even care given in a virtual setting, and senior care that focuses on the activities of daily living. These are two very different things, and they are not interchangeable.
Telemedicine is one of the greatest things to emerge from innovations in technology. Senior care has a lot to gain from technological advances, but no matter how advanced things become, there is no replacement for human contact. In-home care is one of the best examples of why this is. Having a professional caregiver working with your elderly mother or father is not only going to provide supervision and assistance for your parent throughout the day, it also provides physical companionship. This is something that no computer can provide, no matter how advanced technology might become. People are social creatures, and this is actually one of the biggest benefits that in-home care brings. Your mom or dad is cared for in a one on one setting. This gives them closer supervision than you would experience in an assisted living facility or a nursing home.
What’s more, this kind of care often evolves into something much bigger than a caregiver/patient relationship. This relationship has great potential to transition into a friendship. When you are considering care for a loved one, it can be easy to look at the advances that technology has made and be wowed into utilizing them. But telemedicine or virtual care should be considered as a backup choice rather than the go-to choice. The quality of care and guidance might be great for those suffering from Parkinson’s, but it can never replace the care and attention that an in-home caregiver provides on a daily basis. These are two separate things, and lumping medical care in with day to day care does your family a large disservice.
As always, please feel free to contact us here at Paradise In-Home Care. We will do our best to answer any senior care questions you might get have. We can also setup a free consultation to see how we can help your family out when it comes to care.
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