Elder Care, Home Health & Hospice  

WENDY ZACHARY: America is not getting any younger.
85 and older is the fastest growing population
in the country right now.

So we need to work on maintaining
both functional and cognitive independence for these groups
for as long as possible, with as much dignity as possible.
We can learn so much from our older population.
We can learn humility, we can learn from their mistakes,
we can learn from their successes.
The Acute Care of Elderly Unit, or ACE
is just common sense care of older patients.

The Radds.
They love each other.
MR. RADD: The marriage is 50--
MRS. RADD: We are very sorry.
MR. RADD: 54 years old of the marriage.
SINGER: (SINGING) I want you to go with me everywhere I go.
Do everything I do.
That's how much I love you.

WENDY ZACHARY: Hi there.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
WENDY ZACHARY: In the acute care of the elderly
there is a dedicated multipurpose room,
to help promote mobilization.
MRS. RADD: Yeah!
WENDY ZACHARY: I do art therapy with them, music therapy.
MRS. RADD: God love me because I have this kind of doctor.
She's wonderful.
Always put the hand into my hand, and make me so feel good.
Honest, any time I go to hospital,
I don't want to back to home, because I have
a wonderful time over there.
WENDY ZACHARY: That's so nice.
The benefits to the ACE Unit for our patients are multifold.
We're talking about a lower length of stay,
lower rate of readmission, lower rate of infection.
MRS. RADD: 10 years ago every two week I go to emergency.
Little by little everything is changed.
I am now strong and healthy.
MR. RADD: I feel a lot younger.

WENDY ZACHARY: We have a very good opportunity here,
as we show what is inevitable, and that is
that the ACE Unit is good care.
It would be my dream to have a ACE Unit in every hospital
in the country.