Equipment and Supplies in the Senior-Friendly ED

A senior-friendly emergency department may not look much different from any other ED. It is certainly true that the core of a senior-friendly ED is the people and processes.
However, there are a few supplies that are definitely useful to ensure safety and comfort.

Here are a few examples:

• Walking aids especially two-wheeled walkers and canes (Make sure that you have a few available in the ER, and having the possibility to buy or rent them is a plus);
• Portable  hearing assist devices (known as Pocket talkers) to increase communication
• Non-slip socks (prevent falls in the ED and at home)
• Geriatric chairs (favor mobilization)
• Extra chairs for families (They needs to feel that they are welcomed to stay as long as they want with their loved ones)
• Decubitus ulcer prevention mattress (expensive to buy – but ulcers are expensive to treat!)
• Condom catheters (Help to avoid UTI)
• Visual orientation improvement (calendars, clocks, access to natural light)
• Handrails on wall and hallways

If you are preparing a proposal for improvement in your ED, these items above are the ones to prioritize for the following reasons:

• Decrease falls in the ED
• Decrease admission and accelerate discharge
• Increase communication and family involvement (decreasing admission!)
• Increase mobilisation (decrease deconditioning, decrease LOS in hospital)
• Decrease UTI (aka delirium, hospital stay prolongation, antibiotic cost, c. difficile, etc.)
• Decrease delirium incidence (decrease LOS, mortality and morbidity)

Overall, any of these pieces of equipment is absolutely a good investment!

If your hospital is planning on major renovation, then there are a few more items to consider that are not covered here (e.g. wall colour contrast, etc.). While it would be a great thing if every ED could do some renovations (build walls to separate beds instead of curtains, increase space etc), it is not a barrier to get to the final product: an effective senior-friendly ED.

The guidelines end this section with this line, and so will I:

“Hospitals are expected to utilize their existing resources to meet the needs of this population. With minimal additional expense for equipment suggested above, geriatric care can be optimized.”