Advances in telehealth mean that older people can receive care remotely, which has had positive outcomes for infection control during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as supporting those accessing care from regional, rural and remote locations.  In these settings, telehealth is touted as the solution to the challenges faced by communities outside of metropolitan centres. It was also the subject of recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, who promoted the benefits of telehealth for residential aged care.

This workshop will discuss whether current models of telehealth are meeting the needs and preferences of rural older adults. While telehealth can solve some of the wicked problems associated with access to care in rural areas, it also has the potential to undermine existing models of care and rural social infrastructure. This workshop will explore where and when telehealth models of care work well for rural older people, and how best to optimise delivery of care services remotely.

In this workshop, invited speakers will set the scene around telehealth and the supporting policy context. Small group discussions will then explore key issues, and design solutions to identified challenges in the delivery of optimal care. The workshop will involve a mix of discussion and facilitated conversations to derive a set of policy changes that will optimise the use of telehealth in regional, rural and remote communities.

- Learn about rural telehealth and aged care policy/practice trends
- Explore strengths and weaknesses of telehealth models for the care of rural older people
- Design recommendations for addressing challenges to optimal care of rural older people through telehealth.
- A position paper with policy recommendations will be produced from the findings of this workshop, with the aim of improving care of older people in rural, regional and remote contexts.