In 2005, the U.S. witnessed
hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes, among many other natural
disasters. In Mother Nature’s furor, more than two million lives
were destroyed, forcing many to recognize the limitations of
emergency and medical care services – especially in rural areas.
Throughout American history, no
amount of advanced warning has been able to prevent natural
disasters from destroying rural areas. The Great Mississippi Flood
of 1927 left 700,000 people homeless throughout rural areas in
Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.
And, even after the development of telecommunications and
transportation networks over seven decades later, Hurricane Katrina
battered many of those same communities, leaving 1.5 million people
without homes or prompt medical care.
Following Hurricane Katrina,
more than 1,200 senior citizens living in rural areas died because
of a lack of medical attention. They included many elderly,
disabled and medically-challenged residents who fled or wanted to
flee, but faced the challenges of finding medical care as their
local response teams struggled to respond to such a daunting crisis.
Such individuals, often poor and
jobless, rarely hit the radar of the public consciousness. Only
through devastation does the American public take notice and demand
their leaders do something to help these individuals.
Today, many disabled and sick
individuals living in rural areas struggle, even without the wake of
a natural disaster. Without doctors or nurses nearby, it is
difficult for rural residents to access emergency responders or even
caregivers who can monitor them for easily preventable
diseases, major health conditions
or day-to-day well-being.
The solution to serve these
communities is telemedicine — technologies that provide long
distance home health care that is priceless to many pregnant women,
terminally ill people and others with disabilities who require
remote home monitoring to safeguard their health.
In recent years, there have
been a number of advances that have pulled technology into the home
health care arena, making the possibilities for improvement
endless. The most remarkable of which is telemedicine — an
affordable, in-home health monitoring system already popular in
Scandinavian countries.
Imagine life though
telemedicine: You wake up, roll out of bed and stand on a floor mat
that automatically takes your weight. You then walk to the bathroom
to wash your face. With the touch of a faucet, your temperature is
instantly taken.
Meanwhile, doctors and nurses
on the other side of the country are receiving your vital statistics
to monitor your health. While you may live in a rural community,
some 50 miles from the nearest hospital, doctors can use
telemedicine for emergency alerts, medication reminders, long-term
disease management, and monitoring such conditions as diabetes,
cardio-pulmonary condition, asthma and pregnancy.
Providing such simple, reliable
and effective in-home systems for a lifetime of health tracking and
monitoring is priceless. It enables professional medical
specialists, such as primary care physicians, to direct treatment
and referrals in a precise manner — even if they are located on the
other side of the world.
In 2006, these technological
innovations will aid a growing number of individuals who cannot
receive medical help regularly or find transportation during
emergencies. Many individuals stranded in their homes during
natural disasters or living in rural areas will be able to use the
Internet and high-tech monitoring systems for immediate medical care
and monitoring.
Telemedicine supports more than
one-way communication of medical information. Through two-way voice
communication, individuals in need can signal and speak with
experienced licensed nurses, emergency medical technicians and
police, fire and emergency dispatchers through an intercom, bracelet
or pendant. Emergency and medical questions are answered fast; the
right course of action is diagnosed within seconds.
Such vital services mean
everything to those in need, their families and professionals who
provide home healthcare. Knowing loved ones have the most
up-to-date technology, such as convenient health monitoring, medical
record archiving, Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking
capabilities, inactivity detectors and medication alerts, along with
24-hour access to psychologists, counselors, licensed nurses, EMTs
and police, fire and emergency officials brings an invaluable sense
of peace of mind to subscribers.
While the personal touch is and
will always remain the cornerstone of proper home health care, the
security and home health care industries have created “compassionate
technology,” which can better link people together in times of
crisis.
In the coming months, watch for
the union of telemedicine and two-way voice communication to become
the “21st Century House Call,” revolutionizing home health care,
alleviating the devastating effects following natural disasters and
bringing a touch of soul to our technological world.
Peter P. Giacalone is executive vice president of
SafetyCare™. For more information about SafetyCare™, please log on
to www.safetycare.us.
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