Interior Health’s move to no longer offer TV rentals in hospitals disproportionately affects seniors: advocate

Hospital patients in B.C.’s Interior can no longer rent a bedside television, as the health authority switches to a “bring-your-own-device” model — but B.C.’s seniors’ advocate worries the change will disproportionately affect seniors.

According to Richard Harding, chief operating officer for clinical operations with Interior Health North, hospitals stopped offering televisions to patients as of Jan.1. Instead, he said, patients are now encouraged to bring their own devices, like smartphones, laptops or tablets, and can access free wi-fi during their hospital stay.

Patients who do not have their own devices will have access to tablets for personal use with pre-programmed free streaming services.

“This transition reflects how most Canadians, including older adults, now consume entertainment by using personal digital devices rather than fixed televisions,” he told CBC’s Daybreak South.

And though Dan Levitt, the province’s appointed seniors’ advocate, appreciates modernizing patient services, he said seniors will suffer the consequences of this change.

“Many seniors are less likely to have their own devices, not because they’re not tech savvy, but because of affordability and they may not feel comfortable using that tablet,” he told CBC’s Radio West.

Those with vision or hearing challenges, people who struggle with dexterity and fine motor skills, in particular, may find using smaller devices difficult.

“When you think about televisions that many seniors would have had most of their lives, if not all their lives, and they’re familiar with them, they’re accessible.”

In a follow-up email after his interview, Harding said the decision to take away rental TVs took into account the “use of traditional bedside television service, patient preferences and the need to provide support for people who do not have a mobile device.”

He added that devices can be mounted on a wheeled stand with an articulating arm. The interface is simple — similar to what one might experience on an airplane — which is often easier to navigate than a TV remote with unfamiliar buttons. This design helps address concerns about technological literacy for seniors, children, and individuals with cognitive challenges.

Harding said hospital staff, including nurses, are able to help people who find the devices tough to navigate.

“Nurses are around, you know, for patients’ care and comfort at all times, so they would be able to support them if it was necessary.”

In an email, Harding said the health authority will save about $560,000 annually with this switch.

He said contracts with TV providers ended, and the health authority was looking at other ways to offer patients entertainment during their hospital stays.

But Levitt said it’s important to ensure seniors, particularly those in hospital for an extended period, have access to the kinds of programming they’d usually watch at home — especially when they’re away from their usual social environments and recreation.

“Many of us want to watch live TV, and not just a limited selection,” he said. “Certainly what they’re used to watching, that kind of stuff should be available for them. It’s often what keeps them occupied for days on end while they’re waiting to be discharged or waiting for the next procedure.”