Alessandra Bongiovanni- Module 4

E-Health Opportunities for Seniors

Jane E. Brody

Journal Entry #4

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/08/e-health-opportunities-for-seniors/?ref=thedigitaldoctor

 

           This article was found the NY Times website.  The elderly is one part of the population with the least connection with e-health whether through browsing the internet, using the computer and smartphones to name a few.  For the elderly being having the higher risk for disease and illness, it is very important that they have access to information that can be beneficial to their health.  Being a medical-surgical nurse, the elderly take up a majority of census, which is part of the reason I chose this article and believe I can encourage my own patients to engage in e-health. 

The amount of knowledge on staying healthy that can be found through the internet is incredible.  Although some of it can drive a person crazy or can be misleading if the information is not accurate, one can learn so much.  Since computers and technology are a thing for the younger generations, this new way of life may be scary for an older person.  They can also be costly for devices and for internet access, but there are ways around this because libraries give individuals access to both computers and internet.  I do believe where there is a drive or a will to learn there is a way to do so.  Sometimes for the elderly it is easy to just have a family member do the searching for them, which can be beneficial.  The information can be printed for them to read and learn from. 

The article written by Jane Brody is in fact an opinion.  There is no research related to the article, just view points on the important of e-health for the elderly and also gives pointers on how one can access vital information.  What was addressed in the article is the need for elderly individuals to take part in managing their health records, learning about their health, ways of staying healthy, and so much more one can do with technology. 

            The solution for older persons to take advantage through technology is that now websites and tools are increasingly being designed with the special needs and challenges of the elderly in mind with easy to access links as well. One site that can be used is seniorhealth.gov.  One as mentioned can contact a local library, senior center or other local organization and ask whether it offers computer training for older adults. In areas such as New York City, a nonprofit called Older Adults Technology Services offers free computer labs and computing courses for seniors in English and Spanish.

With this sort of help, our older population can jump on the bandwagon and really get a jump start to staying up to date with their e-health.  Although it will take time, I believe doing so will prove beneficial.  Some of the websites provided in this article I can pass on to my elderly patients at the hospital.  Once they have an understanding of how easy this type of learning can be, numbers would certainly increase and individuals will be amazed on helpful this information can be for them.