State-of-the-Art Medical Center Provides Senior Services Designed to Accommodate an Aging Population

What: This case study of the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainfield, N.J., employed a number of programming techniques and design elements in its 2012 replacement facility to promote exceptional care for its senior patients. This includes a separate 6-bed emergency department unit exclusively for seniors and a 24-bed acute care units staffed with nurses who are certified in geriatric care.
Why: The medical center strove to find ways to make its Emergency Department for Seniors and its Acute Care for the Elderly unit to keep patients fully engaged and safe.
How: Some of the design elements incorporated into the seniors' units include large-screen tvs and large-face clocks, beds instead of stretchers in the ER, low-profile beds with pressure-relieving mattresses, low-level lighting, skid-resistant flooring, and an adjacent physical therapy gym, to cut down on the distances the senior patients need to travel. Programs include pet therapy.