As older adults continue to make up a growing share of emergency room visits, one southwest suburban hospital is rethinking how emergency care is delivered to seniors and extending that care well beyond the hospital walls.
At Northwestern Medicine’s Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital, a specialized initiative aimed at patients 65 and older is helping seniors navigate medical emergencies with added support designed to keep them safer, healthier and more independent after they return home.
Hospital leaders say the Geriatric Emergency Department Initiative, known as GEDI, was created in response to the growing number of older adults seeking emergency care and the unique challenges they face during hospitalization.
“Older adults often have much more going on than the immediate medical issue that brought them to the emergency department,” said Amanda Capuano, an emergency department nurse who leads the GEDI program at Palos Hospital. “We’re looking at the whole picture, including their home life, support systems, medications and overall safety.”
Nationally, older adults account for roughly one in five emergency department visits, according to hospital officials. Many are later admitted for inpatient care, which can increase the risk of complications such as falls, infections, confusion and loss of mobility.
The GEDI program takes a different approach by using specially trained nurses and staff who focus on issues commonly affecting seniors. Team members conduct fall-risk assessments, review medications and evaluate whether patients may need additional community support once they leave the hospital.
Capuano said the program’s goal is not only to treat the emergency at hand, but also to help patients avoid future medical crises.
“We’ve seen families feel relief knowing someone is helping guide them through the process,” she said. “A lot of seniors want to remain independent in their homes, and we’re helping connect them with the resources to do that safely.”
The support often continues after discharge. GEDI nurses make follow-up calls, provide resource information tailored to a patient’s community and maintain daily check-ins with some seniors who live alone.
The hospital has also partnered with area first responders, including the Palos Fire Protection District, to identify older residents who may be struggling with unsafe living conditions, medication issues or self-neglect.
Firefighters and paramedics entering homes can now alert GEDI staff when they notice warning signs that may otherwise go unaddressed.
“Our firefighters are in people’s homes every day, and the GEDI team has given us new tools to recognize problems that could put seniors at risk,” said Ben Knights of the Palos Fire Protection District. “Having that connection to the hospital helps us get people assistance much faster.”
Another piece of the initiative is a “Purple Go Bag” campaign encouraging seniors and caregivers to keep a small emergency kit ready with medications, emergency contacts and critical medical information. Hospital officials said the bags can help emergency crews make faster treatment decisions during time-sensitive emergencies such as strokes or cardiac events.
Hospital leaders said they hope to continue expanding the program through partnerships with libraries, senior centers, veterans organizations and other community groups throughout the south suburbs.
The initiative is also part of a broader effort by Northwestern Medicine to bring geriatric-focused emergency care to hospitals across the Chicago region as the population continues to age.