[Irish Times] Situated 5km off the coast of Donegal on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, Arranmore Island has a rugged, unspoiled beauty that blends with its remote location. It’s an outlier both geographically and demographically; the island has a population of just 469 people, many of whom are elderly.Yet residents and visitors alike can avail of new services like telemedicine from Arranmore’s General Practice thanks to improved broadband connectivity, while IoT technology is helping to deliver innovations in home care too. Arranmore island’s GP Dr Kevin Quinn explains more.
In some of the more remote parts of Ireland, ready access to hospitals and medical practitioners is not always a given. And as people are living longer, in greater numbers, this presents challenges for healthcare providers. This all adds up to a unique set of circumstances on the island of Arranmore, 5km off the coast of Donegal.
Dr Kevin Quinn has been the GP on the island for 35 years and together with support staff, a public health nurse and community nurse, his practice has seven surgeries a week. During the summertime, there’s an influx of tourists and students to the island’s Irish college. But for the entire year, the doctor and his staff spend most of their time taking care of Arranmore’s native population, many of whom are elderly.