Telemedicine

9 Dec 2021 admin

6 Key Benefits of Telemedicine for Seniors

Visiting a doctor for an annual checkup is a cornerstone for good health. But it’s getting more and more difficult for Canadian seniors to access healthcare. For starters, Canada’s population is aging. From 2010 to 2063, the percentage of the Canadian population that will be seniors will increase from roughly 15% to more than 25%. This will mean there are more Canadian seniors vying for the same number of limited appointments. When you consider the doctor shortage in Canada, the number of available in-person appointments will likely be even smaller. Fortunately, technology is providing us with valuable solutions to meet these challenges, allowing Canadian seniors to stay active and healthy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a growing number of Canadian seniors tried telemedicine—a remote means of communicating with their doctor for the first time. With telemedicine, you visit a specialized walk-in clinic where you “see” a licensed doctor virtually through secure, private, video conferencing technology. As we modernize long-term health in Ontario, it’s important that we continue to develop innovative approaches to delivering outstanding healthcare. Telemedicine does exactly that. Here are six ways that telemedicine helps Canadian seniors gain better access to the healthcare they deserve.

Telemedicine Is Convenient

The most obvious, and popular, reason why seniors like telemedicine is it’s convenient. Unlike traditional walk-in clinics, which have limited hours, most telemedicine clinics have extended hours and are open on weekends. With a telemedicine appointment, seniors also avoid paying expensive hospital parking, having to deal with limited access to transportation and having to wait in a crowded waiting room. If you live in Ontario, your walk-in telemedicine appointment is covered by the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP).

Telemedicine Can Help You Avoid Hospital Admissions

Telemedicine helps improve communication between patients and their doctors, which allows healthcare practitioners to keep a closer eye on their patients and their overall health. Through regular telemedicine appointments, physicians can better monitor their patients and discern when they may be getting sick or at risk of a medical emergency. Through telemedicine, patients also have more control over when they can schedule a virtual appointment. This means medical help can be provided before an issue gets out of hand and can avoid a potential trip to the hospital.

Telemedicine Offers Remote Monitoring

Seniors are statistically more likely to experience chronic conditions, like diabetes and heart disease, that need to be monitored on a regular basis. Thanks to remote medical monitoring technology which can track sugar levels and blood pressure, seniors can be confident that their doctors are getting real-time, remote updates about their health. Remote monitoring also reduces the need for costly and sometimes difficult-to-schedule in-person visits.

Telemedicine Provides Easier Chronic Health Management

Another great reason to schedule a telemedicine appointment is that it provides easier chronic health management. Chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), stroke, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and kidney disease account for the vast majority of all physician visits. And these chronic conditions need ongoing care with regular appointments, which is easily accomplished with a walk-in telemedicine appointment. Telemedicine can also make chronic health management and prescription refills for seniors easier and more efficient. In Canada, seniors are, on average, prescribed 6.9 different drug classes each year, with 25% of seniors prescribed 10 or more each year. A senior with cardiovascular-related issues or arthritis who is not experiencing new symptoms can visit a walk-in telemedicine clinic and have their medication renewed.

Telemedicine Has Greater Access to Specialists

Canada might be home to one of the most enviable healthcare systems in the world, but there are still hurdles that many seniors need to face. For example, seniors are at a higher risk of developing chronic conditions that need to be regularly monitored by a specialist. That’s not as easy as it sounds. The waiting time to see a specialist continues to grow, with the average waiting time between a referral to treatment being 20.9 weeks. Keep in mind, specialists are not always located in every community. More often than not, seniors need to travel to see a specialist. This can prove exceptionally difficult for those with mobility issues and chronic conditions that limit their movement. Telemedicine is an excellent way for connecting seniors who live in rural areas, smaller cities, or the suburbs with necessary care provided by specialists.

Telemedicine Helps Avoid Hospital Germs

If you’re not feeling well, the last thing you want to do is battle the traffic and deal with parking just to sit in a crowded hospital or doctor’s waiting room packed with other people. This is especially true for seniors with compromised immune systems. Instead of visiting a doctor’s office, searching for a “telemedicine clinic near me” can help seniors eliminate exposure to germs and other risky situations

MD Connected – Telemedicine Clinics Near You

MD Connected provides personalized virtual care and telemedicine clinics across Canada that meet their customer’s unique needs and preferences. You simply need to choose the option that’s right for you. To book a virtual clinic and connect with a doctor or nurse practitioner, click the “book a virtual visit” button on our website and request an appointment. In no time, you’re connected with a virtual health care doctor that will provide you with an end-to-end experience through diagnosis, assessment, treatment plan, notes, and forms. You can also see a doctor virtually at one of our many telemedicine walk-in clinics located across Canada. They operate similar to a traditional clinic, except you speak with a licensed physician through a secure virtual call. If you want to see a doctor at the nearest location, click the “Find clinic nearby” link on our website. Hundreds of thousands of Canadians have used MD Connected for general consultations, prescription renewal, sexual health, mental wellness, travel health, and sick notes and forms. MD Connected is led by a diverse team of doctors with varying backgrounds and provides its specialty services in multiple languages. To learn more about MD Connected, contact us by visiting www.mdconnected.ca or e-mail us at mydoc@mdconnected.ca.