CPMC's new Mission Bernal Campus offers Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE)

The ACE unit is a novel model of care delivered by an interdisciplinary team to hospitalized older adults to improve patient outcomes. Seniors in an inpatient setting are often at their most vulnerable and require a different model of care than the general population.

ACE unit personnel are trained to take care of patients who are unable to communicate their needs. They review medications to minimize side-effects or prescription conflicts, and they identify and treat acute delirium—a symptom present in over 30% of all hospitalized patients over 65.

CPMC’s ACE unit has lifts in every room to help patients get out of bed, special non-slip floors, railings in all the hallways, and common areas where patients can socialize or have group meals.

The Emergency Department (ED) at Mission Bernal contains two Geriatric Emergency Rooms, staffed by specially trained geriatric experts. Screenings for symptoms that primarily affect seniors, such as dementia, are offered.

Funds raised at CPMC’s Mission Bernal Opening Celebration in 2018 benefited the ACE unit.

Older patients often need more specialized care when in the hospital. Mission Bernal Campus’s new Acute Care for the Elderly unit builds on our years of success caring for these patients, shortening the amount of time they need to stay in the hospital while improving outcomes.

— Wendy Zachary, M.D., Medical Director, Acute Care for the Elderly