Downfalls of the project also came from differences in what phone companies could handle, Pelleschi says. In places with digital technology, we were set up only for analog. So we are constantly learning how to adapt and make changes to reach clinicians at the main hub. Due to the changes in phone companies, we had to set up an adaptation kit, because the technology some people have in rural Pennsylvania is not as advanced as what larger cities may have, she says. The majority of clients enjoyed the experience and found it to be an invaluable tool, according to Demuth.
Clients get onto the equipment and enjoy being able to talk to people.
It is sort of like the Oprah Winfrey show, Bates says. People become very animated and enjoy it. Pelleschi says an element that proved difficult for therapists at first was not having the hands-on experience to evaluate clients. Once we got over losing that personal touch, our results were very much in line with what we would have recommended if we had gone out there and seen the client personally, Pelleschi says. Branching Out HGA is not only constantly updating its technology, it is adapting it to other uses.