Appliance of science to elderly healthcare

By 2050 one in five people will be aged over 60, with the number of over 80s projected to triple. With this growing longevity comes greater demands on health services and greater dependence on health technology. We look at some of the latest developments

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Dr Kirstyn James saw firsthand the benefits of telemedicine while doing her geriatric fellowship at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Working in the Veteran Affairs Healthcare System, she’d find herself doing a remote medical consult with a veteran in Cape Cod, who found the three-hour drive to the clinic too onerous. Or with a veteran who had a problem with memory or mobility, making it difficult for them to leave home.