Telehealth Tips For Seniors And Caregivers – Navigating Your Next Doctor Visit

For seniors with mobility challenges, a doctor visit might be a daunting task when you think about the logistics and transportation required. On the minds of many seniors are the risk of falls whilst navigating crowded hospital waiting rooms. For seniors with weakened immunities, being in a hospital increases exposure to infectious diseases. 

Telehealth certainly doesn’t replace in person consultations if one’s condition requires specialised attention and has tests that need to be run in person. Rather, it provides optionality for non critical conditions. Caregivers can easily join these virtual consultations, making it easier to discuss treatment plans and next steps.

Whether it’s a routine check-up or a follow-up for chronic conditions, here’s how seniors and caregivers can prepare for the next telehealth consultation. 

Research on the options for Telehealth providers in Singapore

It is worth taking the time to select a telehealth provider who can best cater to your needs – from medication delivery to arranging in-person followups if required. When it comes to seniors, they might be more comfortable conversing in Mother Tongue. If English is not the patient’s primary language, opt for a provider that can conduct elderly telemedicine sessions in Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, or dialects.

Doctor Anywhere and WhiteCoat are renowned for their fast, reliable services with easy medication delivery. 

• Doctor Anywhere combines 24/7 virtual consultations with a wide range of health services in one app. Seniors or caregivers can connect to a virtual doctor within minutes, and consultations start from S$20. Medication can be delivered islandwide, often within three hours.
• WhiteCoat has earned a reputation for providing thorough and personalised care. Their consultations start from S$25 and cover both primary and specialist care. This includes chronic disease management, an area crucial for many older patients.

Setting up technology

Telehealth is enabled by video conferencing technology which saw a boom during the Covid-19 period. Seniors would have varying levels of comfort with using technology and this is when a caregiver can render assistance by teaching their loved ones or ensuring that the technology is well set up before the virtual consultation. A session without technology hiccups allows the focus to be on the patient’s health, not technology issues.

• Install the telehealth app (e.g., Doctor Anywhere or WhiteCoat) ahead of time.
• Use a smartphone, tablet, or computer with a working camera, microphone, and speakers.
• Sit in a quiet, well-lit room so the doctor can see and hear you clearly.

Have your medical information and history ready

It can get confusing having to manage multiple appointments, prescriptions and also keeping track of multiple conditions at a single point in time. When it comes to seeing a new doctor online, it is crucial to have the medical information at hand in order to best help the doctor make an accurate diagnosis.

• Have a record of the current medications – from the names and dosages to the frequency of consumption. Remember to share records of allergies, current supplements one is taking and also any other treatments one is currently undergoing. 

Follow up and keep records

Like how they do it in hospitals, seniors and their caregivers would have to keep a record of past medical consultations which they can provide if requested in the tele consult. A doctor who is providing a virtual consultation would not have the full history of a patient’s medical records hence the patient needs to ensure that the doctor is kept aware. Here is what one can do: 

• Request a consultation summary – Most platforms like Doctor Anywhere and WhiteCoat provide a record of the diagnosis, treatment plan, and prescribed medications. Ensure these are saved somewhere accessible for the next consultation or within a digital health app. 
• Use this consultation summary in your physical visits – Bring your telehealth records to in-person appointments to give the doctor an end to end view of the treatments you’ve been receiving, ensuring no details slip through the cracks.

Conclusion

Telehealth for seniors in Singapore brings about convenience and efficiency for straightforward medical conditions. This provides an option now for both the elderly and their caregivers to avoid the hassle of heading down to a clinic. 

By embracing remote healthcare for seniors, medical care now becomes more accessible with the right preparation and setup at home.