When an elderly person sustains a hip fracture, a number of transitions may be involved – to an emergency room, to surgery, to a rehabilitation facility, and, hopefully, back home with support services. Along the way, the patient’s health care providers make observations and decisions; this information needs to be conveyed to and understood by family members. Subsequently, the informal caregivers are often required to consider the available information and make decisions or plans for the patient.

In these situations, an online network provides an easily accessible and retrievable record of concrete information as well as a vehicle for dialogue and decision-making. Family and friends can relay medical information, share firsthand observations of the patient, and reach consensus about future courses of action.

Everyone benefits from an online support network

The individual at the center of a Tyze network, as well as those supporting the individual, can benefit from increased communication.

Organizations implementing online networks for their members are afforded a unique opportunity to follow the status of members in a nonintrusive way. By understanding and assessing members’ ongoing needs, organizations can then work in partnership with families to find ways to meet those needs.