[Telemedicine for the elderly- opportunities are increasing, critical factors have to be tackled!]

An autonomous life and quality .of life are essential objectives for the use of telemedicine among the elderly population. To make aging in place possible the elderly peoples' homes have to be embedded in an integrated health and aged care system. In addition to this, it is necessary to create coproduction with the patients and their relatives. However, to meet those targets it is required to achieve enormous rethinking and widely acceptance of telemedicine among all health care professionals. Medical institutions have to undergo vast changes towards a patient-centered health care delivery and an increased intersectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration. Political will for fair and just allocation processes is essential to avoid a potential digital divide among the population, e.g. for socioeconomic disadvantaged population groups or people living in rural areas. Therefore,flanking preparing measures and continuous support through easily accessible contact persons are essential. According adaptations of financial models and an extension of health insurance benefits will be necessary.