By 2030, 1 in 5 Americans will be older than 65, the equivalent of 73 million people [1]. Yet industry-wide efforts to cater for this older generation continue to lag behind its exponential increase. With COVID-19 affecting elderly communities at disproportionate rates [2], it is more imperative than ever before to think critically about how to serve the older demographic. Old age often brings with it chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). In America, nearly 80% of older adults suffer from one or more chronic diseases [3]. Today, those demographics are served by a range of Philips telehealth-enabled innovations ranging from home monitoring solutions based on unobtrusive wearable biosensors to advanced therapeutic devices for COPD patients.
This topic of how to best serve the aging population was the focus of a recent Fortune Global Forum virtual panel discussion, which explored how businesses can tap into the opportunities these changing demographics present, and what challenges those in the senior care industry should proactively prepare for. As an invited panelist, Cindy Gaines, Chief Nursing Officer and Clinical Transformation Leader for Connected Care at Philips, shared insights on how providers can tailor healthcare delivery towards a senior population that largely wishes to age in place [4]. Her insights focused on telehealth solutions, something that has become especially relevant in a pandemic where the aging population represents one of the groups most at risk. She also debunked stereotypes about older generations’ desires and capabilities when it comes to technology, offered ideas and solutions for how hospitals and healthcare systems can serve older populations, and pointed to policy changes that will help aid the adoption of telehealth.
During the last part of the discussion, Cindy offered final thoughts on how to facilitate the adoption of telehealth for seniors in the months and years to come: approaching the change as a community and avoiding a one-size-fits-all mindset; embracing innovative solutions that will combine the old with the new; and focusing on how to make the technology easier for community members to access and use - for example, via Philips’ new Virtual Care Station solutions, originally developed to serve the healthcare needs of U.S. veterans.
Cindy believes that “Once we treat the patient not as someone who is sick (because chronic conditions will happen) but as someone who we’re here to support living well, the easier it will be going forward.”
For more about Philips’ telehealth solutions, click here.
[1] https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2018/cb18-41-population-projections.html
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7288963/
[3] https://www.ncoa.org/news/resources-for-reporters/get-the-facts/healthy-aging-facts/
[5] https://www.homecaremag.com/october-2020/technology-care-at-home
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