The Evidence for proven benefits through Telehealth for Dementia sufferers isn’t as clear as it is for other conditions, instead It’s more important to have person centred and adaptable services available.
Generally the Carers of Dementia sufferers tend to emphasise the requirment for patient safety, whereas suffers typically want to focus on their daily structure and living experience, and have a “I’m not dying of dementia I’m living with it” mentality. Therefore where possible a Self-management programme should be developed with the purpose of helping sufferers to help themselves.

Studies have shown that Dementia Sufferers want to stay physicaly fit, develop new skills, and Keep in contact with outside world, helping to maintain a sense of self and assist them to self manage their condition for as long as possible.
Current studies are focusing on the use of common everyday technology rather than specialised adhock equipment to help Dementia Sufferers.
Cost effective and readily available technology like Video Phones
Electronic Reminder Services, Social Networking sites,Webcams and mobile phones with GPS tracking systems can be used to make life a little easier for sufferers.
These kinds of off the shelf technology can used for :

• Prompting e.g. prompt to wash hands
• The Safe use of domestic equipment e.g. cooking prompting Following recipes
• Orientation through the house at night
• street navigation
• Reminiscence & Recall e.g. digital story telling
• Socialising
• Comfort eg robot pets and Digital scrapbooking/blogs

The abilities of the person suffering Dementia should be focused on for as long as possible, and this is facilitated by supporting and readily available technology.

Related Posts:

• The use of Telehealth with Heart Failure Patients
• The Use of Telehealth with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Here are some basic facts about Heart Failure in the UK.

There are currently 1 million patients affected by heart failure in the uk. There are 450k admissions of heart failure sufferers  into hospital each year, with 65k of these patients in a first diagnostic position. The average (Median) age of admitted patients is 79 years old and there is a high rate of recurrence in this cohort of patients.

The use of Telehealth with Heart Failure Patients

There are some significant reasons why the use of telecare in the care of Heart Failure patients should increase:

• The number of heart failure patients is increasing
• There are fewer professionals to provide health care
• More monitoring of patients may be required.
• There is a need to Reduce costs to the NHS.
• The environmental agenda to reduce travelling and reduce CO2 admissions
• Telehealth generally leads to better (and automated) record keeping

Why can TeleHealth can work for the care of Heart Failure patients?:

• Patients With chronic illness learn routines.
• Most patients are keen to improve their health, leading to more responsibility for their own health
• There is a need to invest in patients, they could be seen as part of the ‘workforce’

With Telehealth equipment evidence suggests that you can:

• Reduce admission into Hospital
• Reduce duration of a patients stay in hospital as it’s possible to Improve Discharge planning with telecare
• Improve mortality rates
• Improve the overall patient experience.
• Reduce cost of care
• Manage a patient’s health from their own home rather than from hospital,
• Know the right time to send the right patient to hospital.
• Provide patient reassurance.

There have been trials of telehealth equipment and these suggest that:

• There was a deduction in mortality of absolute 16.4% or relative 36%
• There was No reduction in hospitalisation rates but  a decrease in the length of stay
• Only 3.3% of patients ask for equipment to be removed
• Telehealth supports clinical input.
• With Structured Telephone support
  • Mortality Improved by just .88%
  • All cause hospitalisation improved by just .77%
• With Home telemonitoring systems
  • 34% improvement in mortality rates
  • 10% improvement all cause hospitalisation rates
• 227k investment  led to 87k net saving

There is a need to use caution of some stats as “Health generally improves when focused on”.

Related Posts:

• The use of Technology with Dementia sufferers
• The Use of Telehealth with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

How can Telehealth be used to aid those with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)?

The use of Telecare, Telemedicine & TeleHealth is becoming more of a target for NHS Health trusts, as the ability to treat a patient in their own home without a clinician leaving their base can bring both care and cost improvements.

At the moment NHS trusts are looking at the use of Telehealth equipment in order to help COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) sufferers but will it bring the benefits to justify the expense outlaid by health trusts.

COPD isn’t actually one disease but a Spectrum of different disorders that cause airflow obstruction, Treatment for which can be complex and the NICE guidelines for COPD patients cover 673 pages.

Statistics show that with the use of telecare there can be a 75% reduction in A&E attendance and  83% reduction in hospital admittance, but it’s also recognised that telehealth can only work in conjunction with a treatment plan which includes input from multi-disciplinary teams.

The problem with using telehealth with COPD sufferers is what do you measure? Measurable levels don’t change much during an episode, meaning that even a Face to Face meeting with a clinician can provide difficulty is measurement. Therefore the cost of expensive measuring equipment may prove to be wasted investment.

Perhaps the biggest advantage from current Teleheath technology is the ability to talk directly with patient to provide calming reassurance and support, both as support during Exacerbation and as an aid to depression.

The use of  future telehealth equipment to reduce attacks by predicting Exacerbation.

COPD  patients that have a productive cough (“the Morning Cough”) are more likely to have exacerbation, and the more frequent the cough the more likely the exacerbation. Currently paper based questionnaires are issued to COPD patients to capture key health information, the paper forms are starting to be  replaced by telemonitoring systems, but it’s telehealth systems that automate cough recording that could provide the biggest benefits.

The number of coughs experienced by the patient increase during COPD as the patient is heading towards exacerbation, recordings of patients throughout the day can be electronically processed to identify coughs therefore significantly speeding up analysis, this would allow prompt intervention to stop the exacerbation.
Electronic Monitoring is more accurate then patient self-monitoring as chronic coughing is generally under reported by patient.

Related Posts:

• The use of Technology with Dementia sufferers
• The use of Telehealth with Heart Failure Patients