Telehealth for elders and their caregivers in rural communities.

The use of technological strategies in providing care for patients and their families at distant locations has been available since the 1950s. Today's telehealth approaches are proposed to offer considerable promise for enhanced service delivery in rural and other underserved communities. Technology-based delivery methods, such as videophone skill training, and one- and two-way interactive computer networks, are envisioned as contributors for improving rural residents' access to services, individualizing rural health care, increasing rural health practitioners' continuing education opportunities, and improving quality and cost-efficiency of care.