Almost all older adults in the United States, an astonishing 97%, had at least one telehealth appointment this year, a new survey indicates.
The data, which come from remote platform operator Independa, indicates that telehealth usage among older adults has grown 20% over the past three years, almost back up to the pandemic-era peak, when in-person options were not available.
Experts have expected telehealth options to trend upward among older adults, although this is the first indication that telehealth use is near-universal.
As recently as last winter, other reports were showing that both older adults and their clinicians remained skeptical of using remote options for check-ins or appointments.
The new study from Independa doesn’t indicate that older adults have switched to remote visits for all their clinical needs, but 98% of survey respondents said that the telehealth visits, which often shaved an hour or more off of their appointment times, improved their relationship with their physician(s), and a similarly high percentage of older adults said that they are ready to incorporate artificial intelligence into their healthcare, the Independa data show.
“Our findings show telehealth has indeed become a vital component of modern healthcare,” Kian Saneii, founder and CEO of Independa, said in a statement. “Convenience, ease of setup, significant time savings and ability to improve doctor-patient relationships are all powerful drivers of telehealth adoption.”
Although concerns exist about the complex health needs of older adults and whether physicians can make accurate remote judgments, it is much easier to set up those remote visits and also less likely that older adults will miss such virtual appointments, the data indicate.
Although older adults may be turning more to telehealth visits, they are less likely to make follow-up telehealth appointments, one study showed earlier this year, although that finding may be because many telehealth appointments are for brief consultations for issues such as nutrition.
