It is very challenging to meet the mental health need of the geriatric population with the lack of qualified services for the geriatric population in rural areas of the state. Telemedicine helps to meet this challenge by allowing the practitioner to conduct timely remote psychiatric assessments. The flexibility around scheduling of psychiatric assessment enables the center to treat patients in house rather than sending the patient out for acute psychiatric services. Through participation in the grant we have also been able to demonstrate successful reduction in antipsychotic medication use with one facility showing a gradual reduction each month for the previous 5 months. This center had an antipsychotic medication rate of 22.08% in June of last year and has now been able to successfully reduce this number to 14.10%. This would not have been possible without the psychiatric services Care Now was able to provide through telemedicine.

Partnering with CareNow Services at Oakview has been extremely rewarding not only for our residents but also our staff. From timely services and their caring staff our residents are able to lead productive lives.The staff at CareNow Services are easily accessible/knowledgeable. Their tenure at CareNow Services and at our fscility has formed trusting relationships that are essential in working with mental health.

Thank you for the services you provide our residents. Given our rural location, having someone visit in-house is extremely helpful. (CareNow Services provider) always touches base with our associates to make sure he addresses and new needs or concerns. He is very thorough in what he does, and is respectful to both residents and associates. One of my residents stated to me that “he puts me at ease and that means a lot because I don’t like Psychiatrists.

We are delighted to have the opportunity to utilize tele-psyche services for our residents. We had not been able to acquire consistent psychiatric services for our residents who needed it in the past. Now through the offering of tele-psyche with CareNow Services, our residents are receiving needed services. Our residents should be able to reach more stable functioning in their activities of daily living.

Care Now is always willing to listen and work with us on any recommendations we have for our residents. Always friendly and kind with staff and residents. CareNow Services creates relationships with resident to develop trust with them.

Pinehill Nursing Center has a diverse population of residents with various mental health diagnoses. Knowing this CareNow Services stood up to the challenge with pure confidence and resilience. Their service, knowledge, and professional creditability are unmatched. The psychiatrist is on-site once per month to provide medication review and 1:1 session. In addition, he has consultant numinous of times via e-mail and telephone. The LCSW is on-site twice per month providing 1:1 and group counseling to the residents. She has implemented individualize behavioral management plans and in-services to our staff in managing residents’ difficult behaviors. The crisis protocol hotline has resulted in immediate response from CareNow Services staff. Because of their seemly unlimited resources to provide inpatient psych care they have saved me hours of phone calls and frustration. As a social service director for 4 years and a long-term care health provider for more than 10 years, I have had more than my share of the rollercoaster ride of getting proper mental health intervention in a timely manner for residents. CareNow Services staff is efficient and effective. They truly live up to their name by providing Care Now!

Since CareNow has been with us, we've had a reduction of negative resident behaviors. We couldn't ask for a better, supportive team to work with us.