Telemedicine Use and the Reduction of Psychiatric Admissions from a Long-Term Care Facility

Abstract

Copper Ridge is a long-term care facility that provides care for persons with dementia and their families from early diagnosis to end of life. A low-cost videoconferencing system was employed in the development of a comprehensive, integrated continuum of care for Copper Ridge residents by bridging long-term care with inpatient psychiatric care at Johns Hopkins Hospital. In this article, we discuss the Copper Ridge/Johns Hopkins telemedicine project and how its operation appears to have brought about a reduction in psychiatric admissions. Telemedicine projects using inexpensive technology over standard telephone lines can be successfully used in long-term care settings. (J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol 2001; 14:76-79).