Nurses Take Charge of Caring for the Elderly

Being hospitalized can be an overwhelming experience for anyone – new places, strange sounds, and complex terminology and decisions. For the elderly, who may already have problems with vision, hearing, memory, as well as physical impairments and limited mobility, a hospital experience can be even more daunting. On top of all that, older adults are more prone to certain medical complications when hospitalized, such as pressure ulcers (more commonly known as bedsores). The risk of physical and mental decline for the elderly while in the hospital is very real. But it isn’t inevitable.

Nurses at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (HUP) have taken up the charge of providing the best quality care for elderly patients-– preventing decline using methods that take into account all of the patient’s mental and physical challenges and abilities. They’re doing so through a national, evidence-based program called NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders). Their efforts were recently profiled in the trade publication ADVANCE for Nurses, as well as in HUPdate, the hospital newsletter. Both articles give a great look into the program and the difference it’s making in the lives of patients at HUP.

Read more in the ADVANCE for Nurses article - Empowering the Elderly

And in the HUPdate article – Finding our ‘NICHE’ in Elder Care

Note to reporters: For media requests about nursing at Penn Medicine and implementation of NICHE at HUP, please contact Olivia Fermano. For other media requests about aging and geriatrics, please contact Kim Menard.