Kent Hospital continues to improve geriatric care and this May they received the NICHE designation.

The Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders (NICHE) is a “nurse driven,” program that fosters excellence in geriatric care.

The program is based at New York University’s College of Nursing and includes more than 620 hospitals and other healthcare facilities worldwide. Kent is one of six institutions in the state with the NICHE designation. The program provides “evidence and research based” tools to help its affiliates improve their geriatric care.

When Rebecca Burke, RN, MS, NEA/BC, senior vice president and chief nursing officer, came to Kent just over a year ago, she quickly realized a majority of the patient population was 65 and older. Having been familiar with NICHE, she thought the hospital would be a perfect fit for the program.

“My job is to ensure the highest levels of nursing standards,” Burke said. “We know that all geriatric patients need special care because of their age. Nurses need to be aware and educated of those needs.”

She said elderly patients, 65 and older, often come into a hospital with “co-morbidities” or multiple diseases and or health concerns and can experience functional decline if left to rest too long. Unlike younger patients, who might just stay in bed for a day or two to feel better, geriatric patients may not benefit from long resting periods, leading to higher risks of falling or stiff joints and muscles. On the other hand, not enough rest can lead to delirium or confusion.

Burke said with a little more attention, many of these problems can be avoided, but “in a traditional care setting they may not be able to meet those needs. We wanted to bring our nurses to a higher level of understanding and bring this sort of care to the forefront of our nurses.”

Joseph Rocheleau MSN, CCNS, RNC, nurse manager and NICHE coordinator, estimated that almost 75 percent of the patients visiting Kent are geriatric patients.

In the U.S. alone the elderly population is expected to increase to 72 million by 2030 and Rocheleau said it was the smart thing for the hospital to not only improve the care of its current geriatric patients but also be prepared to be a frontrunner in elderly care as the age specific population grows.

Last August, the hospital created a steering committee made up of professionals from every aspect of patient care, and this past May the hospital was awarded the NICHE designation. The hospital will have to produce annual reviews and reports to maintain this designation.

“We can be more focused on geriatric patients’ specific needs throughout the continuum of care and throughout the spectrum of their lives,” Rocheleau said.

He explained that as part of the designation, three employees went to the National NICHE conference in Orlando, Florida back in April and 12 of the hospitals employees underwent an online leadership-training program.

With more than 600 nurses employed at Kent, the next step for the hospital is to hold an educational pilot program using NICHE resources.

In September, the hospital will use a Geriatric Institutional Assessment Profile (GIAP) survey, which will give Burke and Rocheleau an overarching idea of what nurses know, what they think the hospital does well and where they believe Kent can improve.

This will also help to identify those nurses that would be prime candidates to become certified as geriatric resource nurses.

“We want our resource nurses to be champions of geriatric care, innovators, educating the other nurses,” Rocheleau said.” We want them to be the voice for the institution.”

Jim Beardsworth, director of marketing and public relations for the hospital, said, “We have ramped up the level of care and we expect that education to filter down into the front lines of our staff. There has been a lot of infrastructure put in place and growth in staff knowledge that will continue with this program.”

As long as the hospital has the NICHE designation, they have access to the resources and research provided by the organization to help in the education of their own staff.

Burke said that there are many disciplines throughout the hospital looking to implement this curriculum within their departments.

“Nurses play an significant role in the patient experience and health.” Burke said. “Our goal is to ensure that our nurses practice on a high clinical level and provide the best care for our elderly patients.”

For more information on Kent Hospital visit, www.kentri.org or for more on the NICHE program visit, www.nicheprogram.org.