Telehealth is a service that uses video calling and other technologies to help you see your doctor or other health care provider from home instead of at a medical facility. Telehealth may be particularly helpful for older adults with limited mobility and for those living in rural areas, as they will have the opportunity to see and talk with their doctor from their home. For older adults, talking with their doctor online, through a phone, tablet, or other electronic device, can often be easier, faster, and less expensive than making a trip to an office.
Telehealth can also help support family caregivers who are taking care of their loved ones either close by or from afar. If a caregiver needs to ask the doctor a question, they can do so through an online health portal rather than waiting for and traveling to an in-person appointment.
Telehealth is for routine, non-emergency illnesses or to have check-ups for long-term conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease.
If you have a device, but not reliable internet, you can check out a Wi-Fi hotspot for free from the library to do a virtual visit with your doctor from home.
