How Telehealth Is Providing a Digital Solution for Dementia Care

A new European study emphasizes the effectiveness of telehealth for dementia care, reports Health Europa . The researchers considered 63 people living with mild to moderate dementia, and their care partners. They learned that telehealth services using videoconferences can save travel time — especially in rural and remote areas — and offer families strategies to improve independence in the person with dementia. "Giving care partners strategies to cope with, and delay, functional decline in people living with dementia is a priority, given that about 70 percent of people with dementia live in their own home with support from family members and friends for assistance," said Flinders University Professor Kate Laver. "Giving families evidence-based information and skills can promote independence and improve quality of life and well-being for people with dementia." It was the researchers' conclusion that using telehealth solutions to supply non-pharmacologic interventions could lower the costs of intervention delivery, boost accessibility, and enable research translation.