Saint Peter's Hospital Is Senior-Friendly

Saint Peter’s University Hospital has achieved “Senior Friendly” status for its NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders) program. NICHE hospitals such as Saint Peter’s commit to excellence in the care of patients 65 years and older.

The “Senior Friendly” status recognizes that Saint Peter’s has put in place a variety of programs such as “Care Companions” and “Silver Spoons” to assist senior patients. The first program calls for volunteers to keep elder patients company. The second program provides assistance during meals. Additionally, the hospital has invested time and resources to implement the NICHE Geriatric Resource Nurse (GRN) model, develop aging-sensitive policies and obtain input of patients, families and community-based providers in planning and implementation of NICHE initiatives.

Seniors can be at risk for certain conditions including anxiety, dementia, depression,falls, incontinence, osteoporosis, and pain. In addition to NICHE initiatives, Saint Peter’s integrated outpatient geriatric medicine program specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of disease and the maintenance of good health and quality of life.

Saint Peter’s is also designated as a primary stroke center. The hospital is staffed by a specialized stroke team that includes emergency physicians, neurologists and nurses with special training in acute stroke management who are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The vision of NICHE is for all patients 65 and older to be given sensitive and exemplary care. The Geriatric Resource Nurse model, an educational and clinical intervention initiative, calls for NICHE hospitals to train staff nurses as clinical resource persons on geriatric issues for other nurses on their unit. Based at New York University Hospital, NICHE is an international program designed to help hospitals improve the care of older adults.

In the United States, 8,000 people turn 65 every day. By the end of 2011, the senior population of America reached nearly 49 million. By 2025, it is expected to grow to nearly 72 million, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the State Department.

As people age, their medical issues tend to become more complex, explained Saint Peter’s geriatrician Shira Goldberg, M.D.

“When developing a care plan for geriatric patients,physicians must use an interdisciplinary approach that incorporates not only medical but also the patient’s social and psychological needs. A patient’s values and preferences need to be investigated and integrated into their individualized treatment plan.”

An interdisciplinary team of board-certified physicians and health care professionals, all of whom are trained in geriatric medicine, works with patients and their families to develop a comprehensive plan of care for improved overall quality of life.