Weekend Must Read: The Future of Remote Care Technology and Older Adults 2020

Laurie Orlov, founder of Aging and Health Technology Watch and well-known industry analyst/advocate in health and aging-related technologies, has released her latest report, The Future of Remote Care Technology and Older Adults 2020 (PDF, free download). Recently, Laurie and I had an opportunity to catch up and review her findings.

This Editor immediately went to the ‘bleed lead’ which was:

COVID-19 HARMED THE WELLBEING OF OLDER ADULTS
Gap in technology access widened into connection chasm

The University of Michigan study from June (cited above and elsewhere in the report) illustrates the change in social isolation for those aged 50 to 80, with numbers that were slightly high to begin with in 2018. Isolation rocketed to 56 percent, putting a Klieg light on mental health that we’ve seen continued in the recent ‘lockdown loneliness’ PLOS One and SECOM studies. The reasons why will be no surprise, as they’re true for nearly all: a screeching halt to in-person experiences, severing in-person connections with family and friends, closing the doors of senior living and nursing homes to visitors (still closed in many states!), breaking healthcare contacts with providers, and losing timely diagnosis of health conditions, new and ongoing.

Most of the report documents the consequences: how telehealth rose, then fell (Epic and Commonwealth Fund last reports), how the experience wasn’t entirely satisfactory and held multiple structural limitations (e.g. tech, vision, hearing, dexterity) for the 50-80 age group (nor providers in obtaining a physical sense of the patient)–a POV you won’t see in mainstream healthcare/tech media nor the funding markets–and how technologies scrambled to fill the gaps (with plenty of examples).

But moving on to the future, which is the aim of this report, there are many gaps which need to be closed that are bigger than Teladongo:

  • synchronous and asynchronous telehealth–the latter primarily remote patient monitoring (RPM)
  • adoption of voice tech
  • broadband and device access, including training and management
  • governmental policy at all levels from Federal to local, including payer reimbursement

The last section of the report (page 18 to end) takes a look at where innovations could take remote care, where expectations are now, and where the opportunities are in connecting older adults. On page 22, there is a checklist for care providers and what they must consider in managing remote care. The summary of the future on page 23 wraps it all nicely.

The Future of Remote Care Technology and Older Adults 2020 (PDF, free download)

 

Categories: Latest News, Opinion, and Soapbox.

Comments

  1. Thank you, Donna! I appreciate the feedback — and look forward to doing more work in 2021 on the topic of telehealth, telecare, and older adults! Laurie Orlov, Principal Analyst, Aging and Health Technology Watch