VNA TeleHealth: Rosie's Story

When someone with five chronic medical conditions is living at home, it's bound to make the patient and family anxious, wondering whether one or more of those conditions could suddenly develop into a life-threatening event.

That was the situation facing 76 year-old Rosie, who lives in Kansas City with her two sisters, until Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) determined Rosie could benefit from daily vital sign monitoring with the VNA TeleHealth Home Monitoring System.

Life-Saving Technology

The simple, easy-to-use technology allows Rosie to automatically measure and transmit important health data directly to VNA for review by skilled professionals. If intervention is needed, VNA takes appropriate action.

For Rosie, the telemonitor paid off immediately, providing her and her sisters peace of mind. "We all have such a sense of relief knowing that VNA is watching Rosie's condition every day," says her sister Mary, Rosie's primary caregiver.

Eight days after Rosie started using the telemonitor, the family says it saved her life.

"She wasn't feeling well one morning," Mary recalls. "Right after we transmitted her data, the VNA nurse called to see if everything was okay. I described her symptoms, and we were instructed to go to the emergency room. Within 45 minutes, Rosie had started receiving four units of blood." Without the VNA telemonitor and nurse, Mary adds, they may have waited to go to the hospital, and it would have been too late."

Simple and User-Friendly

With the telemonitor, every day Rosie measures her heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, lung function, weight and other information. She transmits the data directly to VNA with ease. "It's extremely easy to learn, anyone can do it," Mary says. "The prompts give you enough time between questions, which is great for elderly people."

If Rosie's heart rate reaches a certain level, there are certain medicines Mary needs to give her. With the monitor, she knows exactly what Rosie's heart rate is every day. "I no longer have to worry about whether I should or shouldn't give her the medication. It's a relief knowing that if anything is wrong, a trained nurse will call. I don't have to figure it out myself."

Expedites Medical Intervention

On the day VNA instructed Mary to take Rosie to the hospital, Rosie experienced extremely low blood pressure, and she had been steadily gaining weight. "The swelling in her lower extremities was getting worse," explains Rosie's nurse, Linda. 'We talked to her physician about the situation. He increased the dosage of her water pills, which brought down her swelling almost immediately and relieved the strain on her heart." Linda says the situation would have deteriorated to a critical state if the monitor hadn't detected those changes, which prompted immediate action. For Mary and Rosie, the telemonitor was and is a lifeline.

VNA patients have been benefitting from has been using telemonitors since March 2005. Rosie was one of the very first. The program has since been well received by many patients due to the improvement it makes in the physical and mental aspects of daily life. For patients, their caregivers and VNA nurses, the monitors provide an important tool to keep people healthy and living at home.