My first Magazine St Joseph's Home_40th Anniversary magazine.compres | Page 51

RIDING THE
DIGITAL WAVE
You’re not feeling too good and
the nurses think a trip to the
doctor’s is needed.
Off you go, not to the nearest
hospital, but to the treatment
room on level 3.
“Hi Mdm Tan, kim zei le zo ni
muaeh? (how are you today in
Teochew)
The doctor peers into his
camera at Mdm Tan.
“Bor hor la” says Mdm Tan.
“Lai, mang mang da” (come,
tell me what is the problem)
“Wa gai dou lor...jing tia…” (it’s
my stomach...very painful…)
With the help of a swivel
camera, monitor and internet
access, the doctors at Khoo
Teck Puat Hospital can see any
resident at St Joseph’s Home
without stepping out of their
office. Our residents meanwhile,
need only get in a wheelchair and
head for the treatment room.
Tele-geriatrics or Tele-G
has helped to cut down on
the number of hospital trips
and allowed the nursing
home team to make prompt
referrals and avert unnecessary
hospital admissions. Through
teleconferencing, the care
team can make more accurate
diagnoses and observe body
language that may not otherwise
come across through phone
consultation.
Apart from Tele-G, St Joseph’s
Home is also trying out a wireless
call bell system where residents
who need help press a button on
their wrist watch and the signal
is sent to the nurse’s mobile
device. Says Assistant Director of
Nursing Sr Gillian Beins “Unlike
hospitals where the call alert will
be displayed on every screen
and most times accompanied by
a beeping sound, here, it’s silent.
The idea is that we want this to
be more like a home than an
institutional setting.”
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