Page 34 - PCCA Journal 2nd Quarter 2012

Basic HTML Version

PCCA Journal|2
nd
Quarter 2012
34
News Briefs
Continued from page 33
Broadband Makes Aging
in Place Possible for
Rural Seniors
T
he Foundation for Rural Service
(FRS) in May issued the white
paper, “Aging in Place and the
Role of Broadband,” which finds that
broadband access provided by small,
rural telephone companies, coupled with
recent health care reforms and cutting-
edge technology, is making it possible
for more rural seniors to comfortably
and safely spend their final years in their
own homes.
The white paper was issued as part
of the foundation’s Rural Telecom
Educational Series, an ongoing effort
to promote rural telecom and educate
national and local policy-makers on
the challenges and opportunities facing
community-based telecom providers.
Previous papers have focused on wire-
less technology in rural America, cable
rates, and rural economic development.
“Aging in Place” focuses on advances
in telemedicine and how this digital
method of bringing patients and health
care professionals together via high-
speed internet connections is helping
reverse the growing trend toward private
nursing home care and assisted liv-
ing among rural seniors. Studies have
shown that nearly 4 percent more rural
seniors are in nursing homes than their
urban counterparts because of the lack
of transportation, scarcity of doctors and
hospitals, and fewer at-home services
offered in rural areas.
“Thanks to the hard work of commu-
nity-based telecommunications providers
to bring broadband to rural America,
access to high-quality health care is no
longer an impediment to aging in place
for many rural seniors,” said FRS Execu-
tive Director Elizabeth Crocker. “These
technologies are making it possible for
seniors to live more independently and
affording them the same comfort and
security their urban counterparts enjoy.”
The white paper highlights a number
of telehealth applications enabled by
rural telcos, including:
• Videoconferencing capabilities that
allow doctors and patients to commu-
nicate over the internet;
• Remote health monitoring services
that record vital signs, such as blood
pressure and blood sugar levels, and
relay that information to doctors and
family members; and
• Systems that transmit large digital files
such as X‐rays and photos between
technicians, specialists, or primary
care providers.
The Foundation for Rural Service, in
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