you have seen that oftentimes the costs and benefits of solutions are hidden or revealed only when viewed from different perspectives. Consider those perspectives here and respond to two of your peers by discussing the benefits of the technological trend chosen by your peers. Debate who should pay for technological infrastructure in the healthcare system.  Response posts should be 100 to 150 words, with a minimum of one supporting reference included.   Response 1 The purpose of this discussion is to explore technology and trends to help improve the healthcare of the aging adult community.  I have always seen the benefit of service animals for the disabled and elderly.  They provide support, comradery, and a sense of purpose. If someone that would normally not see a reason to get out of bed has an animal that needs them for food and support, they will see a reason to participate in the day.  I chose to delve into the idea of having robots assist those in the elderly community that needs aid.  There is a discussion if the addition of aid from a robot would contribute to the isolation of this population.  (Hersh, 2015) I will add that without the assistance the population may already be isolated due to the potential of immobility.  Their only contact may be the isolated caregiver that comes to assist on occasion.  With the addition of a live-in robot, the elderly patient may be more willing to communicate with others and even venture out of the house.  Robotic limbs have been around for some years now and have improved the lives of amputees.  Then there are the robotic teddy bears used in nursing homes to gauge responses and timing for their residents.  One introduces an autonomy portion while the other does not. The addition of technology to aid in the  everyday and healthcare needs of the aging adult can be invaluable. The issue is when the cost out ways the benefits, who is going to pick up the bill for assisting a population that may have difficulty even paying for their housing? Little is known about individual end users’ willingness to pay for technology that has the potential to improve QoL and enhance functional independence in everyday life. (Hersh, 2015)  I believe that technology is the way of the future in healthcare.  Telemedicine allows individuals to stay in their homes longer and seek advice or treatment over the phone for video conferences.  Remote monitoring and medication delivery are allowing rural communities to stay healthier when they cannot come into the city for aid. This technology is vital to keep the aging community healthy and safe at home as well.  I feel this needs to be incorporated into the tax reform and/or Medicare/Medicaid contributions.  Technology will help keep the vulnerable populations out of the hospital by providing preventive care and monitoring. Response 2  The most beneficial up and coming trend worth investing in to improve healthcare for aging individuals and their families in the United Sta ...

1. you have seen that oftentimes the costs and benefits of solutions
are hidden or revealed only when viewed from different
perspectives. Consider those perspectives here and respond to
two of your peers by discussing the benefits of the
technological trend chosen by your peers. Debate who should
pay for technological infrastructure in the healthcare system.
Response posts should be 100 to 150 words, with a minimum of
one supporting reference included.
Response 1
The purpose of this discussion is to explore technology and
trends to help improve the healthcare of the aging adult
community. I have always seen the benefit of service animals
for the disabled and elderly. They provide support, comradery,
and a sense of purpose. If someone that would normally not see
a reason to get out of bed has an animal that needs them for
food and support, they will see a reason to participate in the
day. I chose to delve into the idea of having robots assist those
in the elderly community that needs aid. There is a discussion
if the addition of aid from a robot would contribute to the
isolation of this population. (Hersh, 2015) I will add that
without the assistance the population may already be isolated
due to the potential of immobility. Their only contact may be
the isolated caregiver that comes to assist on occasion. With
the addition of a live-in robot, the elderly patient may be more
willing to communicate with others and even venture out of the
house. Robotic limbs have been around for some years now and
have improved the lives of amputees. Then there are the robotic
teddy bears used in nursing homes to gauge responses and
timing for their residents. One introduces an autonomy portion
while the other does not.
The addition of technology to aid in the everyday and

2. healthcare needs of the aging adult can be invaluable. The issue
is when the cost out ways the benefits, who is going to pick up
the bill for assisting a population that may have difficulty even
paying for their housing? Little is known about individual end
users’ willingness to pay for technology that has the potential to
improve QoL and enhance functional independence in everyday
life. (Hersh, 2015) I believe that technology is the way of the
future in healthcare. Telemedicine allows individuals to stay in
their homes longer and seek advice or treatment over the phone
for video conferences. Remote monitoring and medication
delivery are allowing rural communities to stay healthier when
they cannot come into the city for aid. This technology is vital
to keep the aging community healthy and safe at home as well.
I feel this needs to be incorporated into the tax reform and/or
Medicare/Medicaid contributions. Technology will help keep
the vulnerable populations out of the hospital by providing
preventive care and monitoring.
Response 2
The most beneficial up and coming trend worth investing in to
improve healthcare for aging individuals and their families in
the United States is telehealth and telemedicine. The usage of
telehealth and telemedicine has increased within the last year as
a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and new isolation
restrictions. Telehealth allows Americans the accessibility to
communicate with their various physicians and keep up to date
with follow up appointments. Telehealth allows for the delivery
of care and exchange of healthcare information across distances
via technology (Brown Cooper, 2015). Telehealth has made a
positive impact on numerous patient populations, including the
general, rural, prison, underserved, and military populations
(Brown Cooper, 2015). This technology has also reduced the
cost of health care delivery while providing greater access to
health care services and education. For elderly individuals with

3. physical or mental disabilities that make transportation to
healthcare facilities a challenge, tele health alleviates the
financial and time-consuming burden of transportation. This is
especially beneficial for the family members of the elderly
individual as they no longer must coordinate and facilitate the
various modes of transportation. As elderly individuals are also
at high risk for developing infection or disease, telehealth limits
their exposure. There are financial benefits of telehealth as a
doctor’s office does not need to be fully staffed nor assistive
equipment necessary. As a result, increased use of telehealth
could significantly reduce medical expenses.
Conversely, telehealth can have negative impacts on the
wellbeing of elders. As telemedicine is typically done via video
call, there is significant limitation in the clinicians' physical
assessment of the patient. They are unable to perform vital
assessment skills such as assessment of lung and heart sounds
as the patient in not in the physical presence of the clinician. In
patients with chronic conditions such as COPD, congestive
heart failure, or heart valve disease, telehealth may be
detrimental as key physical changes may be present and
unassessed at time of telehealth appointment. Greenwald et al.
(2018) discovered that without an in-person communication
component, technology-based interventions alone are not
effective in improving medication adherence rates or patient
outcomes. Telehealth must be used in adjunct to in person
appointments.
When considering this technology trend, funding should be
similar to if the patient were to attend a typical in person
doctor’s appointment. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the
Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, provided
$200 million funding towards telehealth, which helps clinicians
to provide connected care services to patients from a distance

4. (Federal Communications Commision, 2021). As telehealth can
decrease the costs associated with healthcare long term, it will
be essential to further expand and develop to meet the increased
healthcare demands.