SOME is attacking COVID with a renewed focus on telehealth. With the support of donations, SOME will provide additional healthcare to homebound older adults (those unable to leave their residence during COVID-19) and seniors in our residential program, particularly those with chronic health conditions.
Increased telehealth services will include providing new technology to improve seniors’ health at home, encouraging patient engagement in health management, and linking older adults to necessary services through a telehealth platform. These measures will lead to improved health outcomes for adults and seniors. They will also help these individuals be more cost-effective in their health spending.
The project will support 62 adults enrolled in SOME’s Senior Homebound Program and 49 individuals living in SOME’s affordable housing for seniors. These individuals are at least 60 years old, live in DC Wards 7 and 8, and have very limited support networks.
Almost all of these seniors have chronic medical conditions that require continuous monitoring and medication. The money will be used to train select staff in monitoring, collecting, and transmitting data on key vital signs using a telehealth program. The donations will also help finance the purchase of basic health kits to assess basic vital measures among this at-risk population.
We hope that—thanks to this funding—clients will have a better understanding of the symptoms and factors related to their health conditions and become more independent in managing their conditions and symptoms.
Joan Williams, Senior Director of Senior Services, was very excited to hear that SOME would be able to provide these new amenities, saying, “This will ultimately educate our seniors, assist them in staying healthy, and avoid hospitalizations.”
Thank you to our generous donors for making this work possible!