Optimising geriatric assessment – A geriatrician perspective
Topic Synopsis
This topic will discuss how to optimise telehealth assessment with older adults. Tips will be shared using a case study and interview with a geriatrician involved with the Geri-Connect Telehealth Outreach Service, Bendigo Health, Victoria. This topic follows on from the organisation’s point of view of establishing telehealth into residential aged care facilities (RACFs). Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more specialists have been using telehealth to connect to older patients and reach RACF residents, and there are important steps to take before, during, and after an assessment that vary from in-person appointments. This topic will help clinicians to feel prepared when assessing older adults via telehealth, no matter where the patient is located.
Learning Objectives
Students who successfully complete this module will be able to:
- Identify what should be in place before conducting a telehealth assessment with an older adult
- Know tips for optimising the assessment process while it is happening
- Understand what to do after the assessment with the information gathered
Additional Resources
- Read about some of the outcomes from the initial phases of the Geri-Connect program here: https://www.safercare.vic.gov.au/improvement/projects/oppc/geri-connect
- Read some recommendations for further enhancing geriatric telehealth service delivery in this research article: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1357633X211041859
- If curious to learn more about why and how a service such as Geri-Connect begins, and where it can go in the future, watch this case study presentation from Bendigo Health (30 min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3B1qqATye5Q
- To hear some of the benefits of having a mobile telehealth system in aged care facilities, listen to Janean in this YouTube Video (4 min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEmGiiMO8Ww
- Listen to the experiences of staff and residents having a telehealth system in their aged care facility here (5 min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIuRq7e6W1g
- Read this tipsheet for using telehealth in RACFs: https://nwmphn.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Advice-for-RACFs-Telehealth.pdf
- Read some insights on how telehealth relates to the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety here: https://kpmg.com/au/en/home/insights/2021/03/aged-care-royal-commission-telehealth.html
- For an overview of the topic, read this literature review summarising what was found across 16 research studies on telehealth in residential aged care facilities: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33819450/
- To understand more about the training needs of RACF workers please see this journal article https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecinn.2022.100109