“The next era of healthcare will be more connected”

“On the World Grandparents' Day, we celebrate those who represent our memory, resilience and affection. We also celebrate an increasingly present reality: we live today more years than any other time in history. However, the real achievement of medicine and society is not only to give life years, but rather to ensure that these years are lived with quality, autonomy and dignity.

The ageing of the population inevitably brings the challenge of chronic diseases. Conditions such as respiratory failure, heart failure or diabetes can significantly impact the day-to-day lives of our grandparents and distance them from familiar moments, such as walking in the park with their grandchildren or the tight embrace that lack of air so often shortens. 

Chronic disease does not have to be synonymous with resignation. With adequate monitoring, technology and effective management of the “health-disease” binomial, it is possible to maintain an active, autonomous and connected life with those who love each other most. This is where the role of home care plays a more relevant role.
  Patrícia Mendes is a Senior Sales & Marketing Manager Homecare nurse at Linde Saúde© Linde Saúde

Care goes beyond treating the pathology; it is about empowering the person. Promoting an integrated and patient-centered approach means ensuring that the patient receives the necessary treatment at the place where he feels safe and comfortable: his home. When transferring the centrality of the hospital to the home, the user is given control over his routine.
Today, thousands of people in Portugal have access to home therapies, specialized support and continuous monitoring. But the future of longevity requires policy makers, health professionals and technological partners to take a step forward. The next era of healthcare will be more connected, personalized and preventive.

Through telehealth, telemonitoring and digital remote monitoring solutions, it is already possible to identify crises in advance, prevent exacerbations and avoid urgent visits to the hospital. For a grandfather or grandmother, this translates into less anxiety, less internment and more time at home. 

In this equation of care, we cannot forget the role of family members and caregivers. In many cases, children and grandchildren become essential partners in monitoring their loved ones. Supporting those who care is also a way of promoting the tranquility of the whole family, ensuring that shared time is focused on affection and not just on managing the disease.

On this World Grandmother's Day, the appeal is to action and non-resignation to the limitations of age or disease. Do not let shortness of breath or loss of mobility limit hugs and moments in the family: seek specialized help, advise health professionals and see if home support solutions can return the quality of life they deserve.

With the right monitoring and appropriate solutions, it is possible to maintain an active life with those who love the most. This is the way for longevity to be synonymous with more life for years and more for life.”