Join a panel of Mozzaz experts for a fireside chat, as they have an informal discussion about the importance of effective communication between patients and their care teams, and the role digital technology must play in facilitating meaningful connections and keeping patients engaged.

Mozzaz Co-Founder and CEO, Rini Gahir, reflects on the challenges and triumphs of the healthcare industry in 2020, the role digital technology had to play, and what is to come in 2021.

Mozzaz CEO and Co-Founder, Rini Gahir, reflects on lessons learned from the pandemic thus far, and the new features built in the Mozzaz platform to support the increasingly changing landscape.

Mozzaz CEO and Co-Founder, Rini Gahir, reflects on lessons learned from the pandemic thus far, and the new features built in the Mozzaz platform to support the increasingly changing landscape.

As September comes to a close, Emma Sandrock and Megan Williams take a moment to reflect on the importance of Suicide Prevention Month and the opportunity it gives us all to focus our attention on an incredibly serious topic. Listen to their brief conversation and gain valuable information on ways to take action, provide support, get educated and help identify the signs for those who may be struggling.

Research has found that residents who are 65 years of age or older and have transitioned into the community have an improved quality of life. Community care is seen as being more cost effective, aligns with the individual’s wishes, promotes independence, and follows the Supreme Court’s 1999 Omstead Decision to provide care in a way that is both integrated and with minimal constraints. Additionally, caring for a person in a nursing facility is expensive.

Digital health promotes patient independence and empowers patients in their care. Currently care plan adherence is at 50%, with a third to a half of individuals not taking their medications (Aston University cited in Deloitte Center for Health Solutions 2015). This can result in hospital readmissions or a worsening of their condition and increased costs of care. Having scheduled reminders can support medication compliance and improve health outcomes and reduce operational costs.

In Canada, 82% of the deaths due to COVID-19 are in long-term care home (Comas-Herrera et al. 2020), whilst in the USA, a third of all deaths are residents or workers at nursing homes (Yourish 2020). So, what does this mean for the future of nursing and long-term care homes?

I spoke with several caregivers working on the front line to get their perspective. Some of the key concerns they have are:

• Will I bring it home to my family – kids or grandparents?

• Will I spread it to the people I care for as an asymptomatic carrier?

• COVID-19 fatigue

• They can take all the necessary precautions but not everyone does, and will this increase their chances of catching it and passing it on as they run errands for their clients?

• In some situations, there is need to conserve PPE

When I was doing research to decide what to write with regards to International Nurses week, two things stood out as being particularly relevant to what is happening in the world today.