Kellie FloodThe Acute Care for Elders (ACE) Unit at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Highland Hospital aims to address the common challenges faced by hospitalized older adults.
A team of physicians and nurses trained in geriatric care developed the Virtual ACE intervention as a means of disseminating the benefits of an ACE Unit to all hospital units with the aim to improve outcomes for all hospital elders. Kellie Flood, M.D., has been invited to present the UAB Virtual ACE team’s early results at the American Geriatrics Society’s Annual Scientific Meeting in San Antonio, Texas.
The ACE team at UAB includes Flood, Katrina Booth, M.D., and Whitney Gray from the UAB Division of Gerontology, Geriatrics and Palliative Care, as well as geriatric nurse coordinators David James, Shari Biswal and Emily Simmons, fellow of the Gerontological Nursing Leadership Academy.
The meeting will take place May 18-20. Flood will present during the Paper Session on Innovations in Acute Care Models on May 20.
The capacity for patients at the Highland’s campus is limited, so UAB hopes to expand ACE Unit care across UAB’s medical campus through virtual means by equipping each hospital unit with the necessary tools and training to address the needs of hospitalized older adults in the community. The virtual model has the potential to provide the same benefits as traditional ACE Units, specifically improved functional and cognitive outcomes at the time of hospital discharge, as well as reduced length of hospital stay and costs.
With the help of Leadership UAB and charitable contributions to the model’s campaign, implementation of Virtual ACE could eventually allow for geriatric patients nationwide to receive this innovative care model.