Geriatrics

St. Barnabas Hospital provides advanced medical, nursing and rehabilitative care to older patients and stroke victims.

Our special Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) unit comprises a Combined Geriatrics Unit and Stroke Unit staffed by an interdisciplinary team of health professionals dedicated to promoting the best care for these very special groups of hospitalized patients.

Elderly patients, especially those who are deemed to be frail, often suffer severe complications when they are admitted to a hospital. Too often the development of a sudden illness that results in a trip to the hospital can become the first step in a series of unfortunate events that leads to chronic debilitating conditions, dependency on others, admission to a nursing home, or even death.

Our ACE unit employs novel methods to promote the best environment for a quick recovery and prevention of complicating illnesses. A team of nurses, social workers, a geriatrician, geriatric nurse practitioner, speech therapist, nutritionist, and pharmacist help the medical and surgical staff to treat our frail elderly while preventing decline in function while receiving the best treatments available.

This Unit also is designed to deliver coordinated care to patients who have suffered a stroke in order to minimize complications of the event and promote the best possible recovery. Rehabilitation is initiated as soon as medically feasible along with family education and social interventions to help make a healthy future a reality.

Close coordination with rehabilitation specialists will bring new hope to those who suffer a stroke. Linkages with our outpatient and short-term rehabilitation programs will ensure a rapid transition to a location appropriate to continue the process of recovery.

The main focus of the ACE Unit is to prevent adverse events, such as falls, infections, and unwanted side effects from medications that are problematic for the elderly. Patients are motivated to remain active and to receive as much nutrition as is possible. These actions have been proven to reduce the development of confusion and delirium during a necessary hospital stay. It is our intention to send our elderly patients back into the community with the ability to maintain their health, dignity, and independence.