Preserving Dignity for Mental Health Patients

We watch our children like hawks to protect them from the dangers they don’t yet understand. We hold their hands and preach “stranger danger” because we fear that when we’re not there, something terrible could happen. And while constant monitoring or “helicopter parenting” comes from a place of love, it can become an annoyance – even to the littlest of minds. 

When 24/7 monitoring extends to adults via required medical observation, this annoyance can turn into something even severe.  Left feeling like children, many monitored adults indicate that the overbearing presence of an in-person round-the-clock sitter takes a toll on their sense of independence, self-esteem, and dignity. 

With virtual monitoring infused with care and compassion, however, respect is a force so powerful you can feel it through a screen. 

One of our virtual monitoring technicians, Rebecca, learned this firsthand when she retrieved a VirtuAlly mobile observation cart from a patient’s room. As the nurses discharged the patient, she came face-to-face with Rebecca. 

The patient asked Rebecca if she was one of the technicians who monitored her, to which Rebecca replied, “yes.” The patient then said:

“I just want you to know how much I appreciate you being with me virtually instead of in the room.” 

This expression of gratitude gave Rebecca a newfound understanding of the patient experience. 

The patient had required a one-on-one sitter for depression and suicidal thoughts in previous hospital visits. She shared that it made her feel like a child, and this lack of agency made her hesitant to seek help again when those thoughts resurfaced.

During her latest hospital visit, her physician recommended a virtual option that was appropriate for her level of suicidal ideation. Throughout the course of her inpatient stay, a technician would only occasionally appear on the screen and check in with her. This stable yet unobtrusive presence brought her comfort, and the dark screen made it easier for her to sleep. 

Although the screen was blank, the patient knew all she had to do was wave, and support would arrive. 

Instead of recovering under the scrutinizing eye of an in-person sitter, the patient was able to improve at her own pace, free from the recurring stigma of mental health.

“It felt much less intimidating, and I was able to recover with my dignity still intact.”

Virtual monitoring allows those with the courage to seek help to be unashamed, retain their dignity, and recover in a safe environment.