"ERs Can Be Loud, Hectic and Even Dangerous For the Elderly. Here's How Hospitals Are Trying to Fix That" - Marlene Cimons
Nobody enjoys a trip to the ER. But it can be especially difficult – sometimes even dangerous – for the elderly. Many emergency healthcare settings are frenzied and noisy, with glaring lights and slippery floors, often without handrails. “The emergency department is not a great place to hang out for anyone, but it can be especially tough if you are older,” said Denise Nassisi, MD, director of the geriatric emergency department at the Mount Sinai Hospital. Ula Hwang, MD, associate professor of emergency medicine, geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said, “We need to make sure we aren’t just treating the emergency, but treating it well enough so the patient doesn’t have to come in with the same problem once a month.” At Mount Sinai, one of the nation’s first hospital emergency departments to be accredited as a geriatric ED, nurses and social workers assess patients’ cognitive function, medications, at-home risk for falls, and the stress level on their caregivers.
— Denise Nassisi, MD, Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine, General Internal Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Director, Geriatric Emergency Department, The Mount Sinai Hospital
— Ula Hwang, MD, Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai