Yale Opens Elderly Care Unit

On June 21, Yale-New Haven Hospital opened a new medical unit expressly designed to provide enhanced care for patients 65 years and older with acute medical needs.

The ACE (Acute Care for the Elderly) Unit at Yale-New Haven will be Connecticut’s first medical unit to provide interdisciplinary care for people over the age of 65 while serving as an educational model for resident physicians, medical students, fellows, nurses, and attending physicians.

Under the direction of the geriatric faculty of the Yale-New Haven Medical Center, the ACE Unit is specifically designed to help patients maintain physical and mental function and maximize independence during hospitalization for acute illness.

“Research shows that many complications such as acute confusion can be prevented when older adults are cared for by a hospital staff with expertise in aging,” said Leo Cooney, MD, chief of geriatrics at YNHH. “This new unit at Yale-New Haven will be a model of inpatient care that seeks to prevent complications and promote independence in hospitalized older adults.”

An interdisciplinary team consisting of nurses, physicians, rehabilitative services, social work, and pharmacy will provide comprehensive services in all aspects of patient care. The 12-bed unit will make the older adult its top clinical priority providing routine medical services and appropriate geriatric interventions.