American Geriatrics Society Position Statement: Telehealth Policy for Older Adults
Alison M. Holliday, Ardeshir Z. Hashmi, Adaora Obiageli Okoli-Umeweni, Ariba Khan, Shivani K. Jindal, Swati Gaur, Veronica Rivera, Neela K. Patel
Abstract
Telehealth offers an important and growing opportunity to provide convenient and effective care to older adults, as became evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. With increasing chances to embed technology in a person's home and provide care remotely, it is imperative that we ensure that diverse older adults have access to telehealth. This statement represents the official policy position of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS), to inform stakeholders about key factors to consider when implementing telehealth. In this position statement, we define telehealth as any method used to provide healthcare remotely by using technology. We outline barriers to providing telehealth to older adults and recommend policies to address those barriers. The AGS positions include recommendations ensuring equitable access to technology, improving digital literacy, addressing physical and cognitive impairments, and enhancing caregiver support, and for tackling reimbursement and regulatory challenges. The AGS recommendations also include attention to the 4Ms put forward by the Age-Friendly Health Systems (AFHS) movement (What Matters, Medication, Mentation, Mobility) with attention to how best to integrate telehealth into the care of older adults with Multicomplexity (the geriatrics fifth M).