Integrative healthcare and innovation. Care becomes close: teleassistance Phases for the elderly and caregivers

Italy is the country with the longest life expectancy in Europe and, at the same time, the one with the fewest RSA beds. Millions of families find themselves managing alone the care of parents or spouses who are not self-sufficient, suffering from dementia or chronic diseases such as Parkinson's. It is one of the most complex challenges for the future of our health care system: the population is ageing, resources are dwindling, and the home becomes - in effect - the first place of care.

Caring at home, however, requires skills and clinical support in continuity that are not always accessible today. To meet this need, the Fasi (Supplementary Healthcare Fund) has introduced three new free geriatric teleassistance services, dedicated to frail members and their families. An initiative that combines technology, proximity and humanity, bringing integrative healthcare beyond reimbursement and into daily life.

Three paths for different needs

The Fasi services address three areas of frailty: dementia, reduced autonomy and Parkinson's disease.

Each unit (assisted and caregiver together) is followed by a care manager dedicated, a health professional (nurse or occupational therapist) who becomes a constant point of reference, because he or she is accessible whenever needed, from home, without appointment or waiting, by telephone, video call, email or text message. In fact, the care manager is available to the family every weekday and works in synergy with a multidisciplinary team of specialists - geriatrician, neurologist, psychologist, nurse, occupational therapist - to guarantee comprehensive care.

Dementias: supporting caregivers

The dementia programme is designed to offer expert help to the caregiver in managing cognitive and behavioural impairments, setting up care routines and activities, cognitive stimulation as well as the emotional support needed to improve resilience. The aim is twofold: to keep the person active and to reduce the stress of their carers, whether family members or personal assistants.

Reduced Autonomy: Defending Independence

For members with reduced self-sufficiency, Fasi teleassistance provides a geriatric nurse who guides the family in the correct approach to care and the prevention of complications, helping to preserve residual autonomy and make the carer's job safer.

Parkinson's: an expert always at hand

In the dedicated Parkinson's service, a specialised nurse helps the person and family members to cope with motor and non-motor symptoms, mitigate their impact on autonomy and quality of life, improve adherence to treatment and prepare for check-ups, under the supervision of a team led by a neurologist expert in movement disorders.

The value of Fasi innovation
With this initiative, Fasi confirms its role as a pioneer of integrative care: technology becomes an instrument of proximity, not a barrier. Bringing healthcare expertise into the home means making care more accessible, continuous and human, responding in a concrete way to the challenge of an ageing country.

(For information or to activate services: Call the Fasi Contact Centre on 06 518 911 option 6)