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Healthwatch 16: ACE – Acute Care for the Elderly

BLOOMSBURG — There’s a new unit at Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital especially for the frail elderly, who hospital officials say, need a different kind...

BLOOMSBURG -- There's a new unit at Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital especially for the frail elderly, who hospital officials say, need a different kind of care when they're being treated.

If you have ever dealt with someone who has Alzheimer's or dementia, or even someone who is elderly and frail, you know how even the smallest change in schedule or routine can cause big problems.

"When you move dementia patients around, the new environment resets the clock and they really get concerned with not knowing where they are and what goes on next," said Jim Barbarich of Danville.

He knows that first hand. His 89-year-old father-in-law Bob was recently admitted to Geisinger Bloomsburg Hospital, and became the hospital's first ever patient in the ACE unit. ACE stands for Acute Care for the Elderly.

"The new environment of coming here created a high level of anxiety," Barbarich said.

Dr. Michael Marino, medical director at Geisinger Bloomsburg, showed us around the wing.

"Those patients will present to the hospital with an acute medical problem like pneumonia or cellulitis. But in addition to that, they may have difficulty orienting themselves to the place or ambulation when they get in and out of a bed or chair," said Dr. Marino.

There are now 10 rooms on the medical/surgical floor that have been specially outfitted for ACE patients, with features such as special beds and chairs, and clocks with bigger numbers.

But it's not just physical help patients will get in the ACE unit, it's emotional as well. At admission, a geriatric assessment will be done to determine a patient's mood and cognitive level.

If it's appropriate, ACE allows them to be treated by a team of doctors and nurses trained to deal with the frail elderly and will help direct them and their families after discharge too.

"Ace is technically within the walls of the hospital, but our goal is to connect them with resources Geisinger has in the community, at home, and in many nursing homes in the northeastern Pennsylvania region," said ACE co-creator Jordan Barbour.

Jim Barbarich's father-in-law is in a nursing home now, but he thinks that stay in the ACE unit is what allowed him to be home with the family for about seven weeks after his hospital stay.

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