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What is a TeleCompanion? By definition, a companion is a partner in something, and tele means at a distance. That is exactly what the new Minneapolis VA Medical Center TeleCompanions are.

They are partners to the Veteran patient and the entire care team, even though it is a camera at the bedside.. Melissa Monson manages the TeleCompanion Program that kicked off last month.

“The program has been well received by both staff and patients in the month that we have been live. There have been about four to six patients enrolled in the program daily,” said Monson. 

At the other end of the camera are the real Minneapolis VA TeleCompanions, certified nursing assistants who have experience caring for patients at the bedside. Their experienced allows them

to notice subtle changes in behaviors and quickly catch safety concerns.  Elisabeth “Ellie” Herr has been on the TeleCompanion team since day one..  “I have really enjoyed being a part of

the TeleCompanion team. I love working with staff all over the hospital and helping patients,” said Herr.   This new program provides an opportunity for staff to work in an innovative field.

They monitor the safety of multiple Veterans simultaneously for adverse events such as falls, medical device interruption, and elopement. Not every patient needs this level of monitoring,

some need less, others need continuous observations or one-on-one care. TeleCompanions are an excellent way to bridge the gap.  TeleCompanions add an additional tool to provide safe patient

care. Nurses assess patients for appropriateness of telemonitoring. Once determined it would be a good fit, nurses provide a warm hand-off to the TeleCompanion on the other side of the

device. They bring the TeleCompanion up to speed on behaviors to watch for and when to notify staff.  With visual surveillance, and audio surveillance if needed, the TeleCompanion can

quickly call the nurse or nursing assistants to the bedside if the patient needs help. They also have an alarm to trigger when the patient needs urgent assistance.   “I have been noticing

over time that our presence has been increasing around the hospital. I think it's because people are realizing that we are all nursing aides who have great experience to offer in

helping to redirect, maintain, and protect patients. And I think we all genuinely love our patients,” said Herr. To learn more about VA Telehealth Services visit telehealth.va.gov.