 Acute
Care for the Elderly unit
Aurora Sinai Medical
Center's ACE unit
works to decrease the risk of functional decline that sometimes occurs
during hospitalization of patients who are frail and/or have memory loss.
 Research has shown that about 25 percent of frail elderly patients who are
hospitalized for common acute illnesses never return to the living situation
they had been in prior to entering the hospital, because their total needs
often go unmet.
The Aurora Sinai Medical Center ACE unit combats this problem by providing a team
that includes a geriatrician, a clinical nurse specialist, social worker,
geriatric pharmacist, nutritionist, and physical, occupational, speech and
recreational therapists to work with the patient's attending physician. They
collaborate to provide specialized geriatric care that emphasizes
independence, with specific protocols for rehabilitation and the prevention
of physical and cognitive declines.
The 20-bed unit features a home-like environment with carpeting, special
lighting, communal dining, social activities and a kitchenette to encourage
family interaction.
 According to the program's Medical Director,
Ariba
Kahn, MD, a
geriatrician, Aurora Sinai Medical Center is the ideal setting for an ACE unit.
"The ACE unit is an excellent complement to the comprehensive array of
outpatient services for the elderly provided by the medical center's
Geriatrics Institute," she explained.
Dr. Michael Malone worked closely with other
physicians and staff to develop the ACE unit.
Both are faculty members of the University of Wisconsin Medical School.
Dr. Malone noted that almost one-third of older adults hospitalized for
acute medical illness decline in their ability to perform basic activities
of daily living. And only half of those recover by three months
post-discharge.
"It makes sense in a society with an aging population
that we begin addressing this problem now," he said. "The National
Institutes of Health estimate that the U.S. population aged 65 and older will
double by 2030, making it crucial that we focus on the total medical needs
of the older adult."
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