Care unit targets elderly needs
BY PATRICIA A. MILLER
Staff Writer

BRICK TOWNSHIP - Ocean Medical Center officials debuted their new state-of-the-art acute-care unit designed for older residents yesterday.

The 40-bed inpatient unit - dubbed ACE (Acute Care of the Elderly) - features eight private rooms and 16 double patient rooms. Four of the patient rooms are equipped with negative pressure capability for respiratory isolation, if needed, hospital officials said.

"I am extremely proud to have seen this project to fruition, for many reasons," said W. Peter Daniels, president of the medical center. "Not only do we celebrate the added capacity at Ocean Medical Center, but we are also celebrating the high level of specialization that accompanies ACE designation."

The new unit brings the hospital's total number of beds to 281.

The unit's best practices are based on NICHE (Nurses Improving Care of Hospitalized Elderly). NICHE, a nationwide initiative based in the John Hartford Institute of New York University, targets the needs of geriatric patients.

Illnesses such as dementia, incontinence and chronic wounds are common conditions found in an ACE unit, said Ellen Barrington, the nurse manager of the new unit.

"Certain illnesses and health conditions are more prevalent [in] an elderly patient, and so we prepare to handle those situations with specialized equipment and easy access," she said. "Dementia, incontinence and chronic wounds are examples of conditions commonly found on an ACE unit."

Barrington is board-certified in gerontological nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). All ACE nurses are required to achieve national certification in their area of expertise in gerontological nursing.

The NICHE initiative's goals are to improve patient outcomes, avoid complications and return patients to their level of function prior to hospitalization, officials said.

The new unit features a number of amenities, including an activity/socialization room, recliners, low beds and special lighting and flooring to reduce glare, she said.

All of the ACE unit beds are equipped to signal the nursing unit if a patient tries to get out of bed without nursing support, Barrington said.

Ocean Medical Center, a member of the Meridian Health System, is a not-for-profit community medical center on Jack Martin Boulevard. For more information, call Meridian Health at (800) 560-9990 or log on to the Web site at www.meridianhealth.com.