Wesley Woodlawn Hospital “Senior Friendly” Care
At Wesley Woodlawn Hospital, we know older patients and their families have unique needs. That's why we're proud to be the first and only hospital in Kansas to earn the NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders) certification. NICHE is the leading nurse-driven program designed to help hospitals provide sensitive and exemplary care to all patients 65 and older.
Our seniors appreciate the convenient front-door parking, the comfortable private rooms and that all our services are on the first floor. Woodlawn staff also use specialized training for communicating with older patients, ensuring that all needs are respected. And our seniors experience this specialized elder-care focus across a wide range of Woodlawn services, from cardiology and orthopedics to emergency care and robotic surgery.
Our greatest generation deserves the greatest senior care. And that's what you'll find at Woodlawn.
Acute Care for Elders (ACE)
Hospitalized elders often have multiple and complex medical issues, requiring comprehensive assessment and close attention. Woodlawn's Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) inpatient service is specifically designed to address these needs and assist patients and their families with getting healthy and getting back home.
Patients receive comprehensive treatment by a full team of healthcare providers including nurses, physical and occupational therapists, a social worker and a nutritionist, led by a team of geriatric specialists. Care is designed to meet the special needs of elders with special floors, lights, furniture and a calming, homelike environment.
The program has been shown to significantly improve the clinical outcomes of hospitalized elder patients, improve their functional status at discharge and reduce the rates of transfer to nursing homes. Care focuses on maintaining physical and psycho-social functioning despite an acute illness and on providing education and support to patients and their families around medications, geriatric conditions, living options and community resources.
This model of care, combined with the NICHE certification, enables ACE professionals to effectively reduce risks, impairments and disability all while maintaining the highest level of quality.
Studies show NICHE-certified hospitals have:
- Improved clinical outcomes
- Enhanced nursing competencies
- Greater patient, family, and staff satisfaction
NICHE certification provides hospitals and other healthcare organizations with:
- State of the art training, tools and resources, including an interactive 24/7 eLearning center
- Project management support/mentoring for NICHE-based hospital initiatives and elder care services
- Evidence-based clinical protocols that address Joint Commission compliance and other regulatory imperatives
- Shared information, knowledge and expertise