Nationwide Survey Shows Growing Shift to Telehealth — Significant Uptake Among Older Adults, Consumer Preference for TV-Based Services
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – December 6, 2023 – Independa, an award-winning platform for remote engagement, education and care, today announced studies showing a substantial shift toward telehealth with a 97% adoption rate among older adults in 2023, up from 75% in 2021.
Convenience, enhanced doctor-patient relationship and logistical advantages are leading factors in growing telehealth popularity, according to twin studies from Independa encompassing 1,000 U.S. citizens of all ages and the 4th annual focused survey of 1,000 Americans with older adult parents.
Telehealth Adoption Among Older Adults — Older adults have increasingly embraced telehealth, with a notable surge to 97% in 2023 up from 86% in 2022 and 75% in 2021. This trend underscores telehealth’s growing relevance in the older adult demographic.
Convenience and Time-Efficiency — Nearly two thirds (65%) of respondents required 2-3 hours or more for in-person doctor visits, in stark contrast to 72% of respondents requiring 30 minutes or less for telehealth appointments.
Enhanced Online Relationships — A notable 98% of participants reported maintaining or improving relationships with their doctors through telehealth, preserving essential patient-provider rapport.
Dr. AI: Acceptance of Artificial Intelligence (AI) — A striking 97% of respondents approve of AI solutions diagnosing their health issues, a significant shift toward technology-driven healthcare benefits.
Telehealth via TV: A Preferred Medium — 98% of older adults prefer receiving telehealth services through their familiar TVs. Respondents showed interest in a variety of TV-based telehealth content — top picks included health and wellness videos, and direct doctor appointments.
Missed Appointments Due to Logistics — Reflecting on the logistical challenges of traditional healthcare, 88% of older adults reported missing healthcare appointments, up from 63% in 2021.
Ease of Setup — 78% of older adults found setting up telehealth appointments easy, an increase from 57% in 2021, highlighting that telehealth technologies are becoming more user friendly as well as familiar.
Preference and Convenience — 99% of all Americans prefer the comfort of home for receiving healthcare. Over half of the respondents identified cost and time savings in travel as significant benefits, further emphasizing telehealth’s appeal.
Generational Perspectives — The surveys revealed generational differences in telehealth preferences. Baby Boomers significantly favored comfort and convenience, with 69% expressing interest in telehealth via TV, compared to 48% of Gen Zers.
“Our findings show telehealth has indeed become a vital component of modern healthcare,” said Kian Saneii, founder and CEO of Independa. “Convenience, ease of setup, significant time savings and ability to improve doctor-patient relationships are all powerful drivers of telehealth adoption. The significant uptake among older adults, in particular, is a remarkable shift in how healthcare is perceived and accessed by this crucial demographic. Our platform’s integration with familiar technologies like TVs is breaking new ground in making health management more simplified and accessible, and less intimidating. These survey results reinforce our commitment to advancing health and wellness in the home, ensuring our solutions are inclusive, affordable and the convenient preferred choice for people of all ages.”
A survey infographic is available here.
About Independa:
Founded in 2009, Independa, Inc, is the innovator of the award-winning social engagement, education and care platform. The Independa Health Hub® provides an ecosystem of health and wellness applications and benefits, including bi-directional, easy-to-use video chat, allowing care recipients to stay more healthy, independent and socially engaged, while reducing the costs and complexities of care. Beyond direct consumer benefits through integration in all LG TVs, Independa addresses remote engagement and operational costs and staffing challenges in home care, home health and senior living communities through market-specific enterprise solutions. Independa helps people stay at their residence of choice longer, safer and more comfortably, delivering on the joys of a Life, Connected™.
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Media Contact:
Gary Bird
FortyThree, Inc.
831.888.9011
Independa@43pr.com
