Home health care is one of the most important aspects of geriatric care. It allows certain patients to continue to live at home without having to relocate to an assisted living facility while still receiving the medical care and attentions that they need. However, there are many aspects of home health care that some have thought to be rather dated for some time.
The good news is that in recent years, home health care has been the focus of many innovations. This means that methods of care and technological developments have come about in order to improve the manner that home health care is administered. Such progress leads to better outcomes for patients and easier ways for healthcare professionals to do their jobs.
When it comes to receiving better home health care, here are five innovations that are currently contributing to higher, more efficient levels of care for patients and better access to necessary resources for healthcare professionals.
1. Apps
In this day and age, it seems as though there is no such thing as an industry that hasn’t incorporated some sort of mobile application into the equation. Home health care is no exception to this. There are a number of apps that have been developed that allow healthcare professionals to provide the very best care to patients.
Some apps help companies train their home health employees in a more efficient manner, while others are designed to assist with important matters like HIPPA compliance and the like. Still others can even help companies to recruit qualified, dedicated workers to join their home health care team.
When home health companies are able to run more efficient and properly managed businesses, the care they are able to provide their patients will be better when all is said and done.
2. Wearable Technology
The age of the Apple Watch is here, and such a device is far from the only one of its kind on the market. Wearable technology of this nature is able to assist home health care providers in their work so as to offer better care to patients across the board.
With each new model of smart watch comes additional updates. Many of these updates are related to healthcare in many ways. From being able to constantly monitor a patient’s heart rate to even checking someone’s O2 saturation levels, wearable devices are for much more than just texting and taking phone calls from your wrist.
When patients wear these devices, it can take away the need for home health care workers to carry around their own from patient to patient. They also provide real-time updates on such things and can even send out alerts when something isn’t right. This means that home health care patients will get the emergency care that they need without much effort at all.
3. Faster Internet Connections
In the world of healthcare, it is becoming more and more important for patients and providers to have fast, reliable internet connectivity on hand at all times. The simple fact is that excellent, seamless communication is the key to providing and receiving quality healthcare.
The dawning of the 5G network means that home health care providers are able to administer care to patients even in more remote areas. This can take the strain off local hospitals and family care practices as home health care providers will be able to access the resources they need right from their patient’s homes.
For instance, if an elderly home health care patient finds themselves in a situation where they need to contact their healthcare provider from a remote location, such as their home out in the country, they will be more likely to be able to access the internet and speak to a healthcare professional.
4. Voice Activated Technology
In addition to wearable being a great help to those who provide and who need home health care, voice activated technology is too. Devices like the Amazon Echo and Google Home device will respond to one’s voice when they say a key word or phrase that turns on the listening function.
The elderly tend to be at a higher risk of tripping and falling. Unfortunately, when a senior falls, they might not be able to get up without assistance. When an elderly person lives on their own and needs to receive regular home health care, this can all result in a dangerous situation.
When their home is equipped with a device that comes with voice activated technology, however, they simply have to ask the device to call for help. This means that even if they are in a situation where they can’t reach their phone or move, they can still get the emergency help that they need by asking their device to place a call.
5. Security Systems
Even though security systems for the home have been around for some time, the manner in which these systems have developed and advanced is such that they can play an integral role in protecting home health care patients. Aside from the obvious of calling emergency services in the event of a break in or attempted burglary, these systems can do so much more.
For instance, many advanced security systems are equipped with features that alert emergency services when there is a fire, a carbon monoxide leak, or if there is a flood. This means that an elderly patient living on their own who might not be quick or alert enough in the event of an emergency to get the help they need will be safe regardless.
Some security systems are equipped with cameras and CCTV as well. This means that emergency events will be recorded and stored and can be reviewed by a healthcare professional at a later time if necessary. If, for instance, an elderly patient doesn’t remember how a fall took place, their security system might have recorded the whole incident. This can help guide the decisions that a healthcare team makes when it comes to treating wounds and injuries.
