Nursing Alumna Oversees Virtual Home Care for At-risk Patients

Company provides ‘GrandPad’ digital tablets for virtual visits with clients

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged traditional models of care delivery, including home-based care. Sacred Heart University graduate Deborah Cavalier, RN, MA, MBA, who is clinical director of operations at Prospero Healthcare in Connecticut, observes, “Many of our patients are isolated, and the pandemic has only made it worse for them.”

In response, Prospero has provided its care teams with several hundred GrandPad electronic tablets to enable virtual visits with clients. GrandPad is intended specifically for individuals over age 75 and has been used to conduct telehealth visits with seniors in their home environment.

“Our ability at Prospero to immediately offer video capability was a difference-maker in the lives of people who needed to stay connected the most,” Cavalier says. “We are still able to advocate for our patients’ care and ensure that someone is always available for them, day or night. Also, an unexpected benefit of ‘virtual care’ for this patient population is that the technology is new to them, and they have found it inspiring.”