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Geriatric
Evaluation & Management Unit
As pressure has grown to increase the turnover of acute beds, the Geriatric Evaluation & Management (GEM) Unit has become a key resource of restorative transitional care that many older, more disabled patients require before discharge to the community. To achieve this goal, the GEM provides many services, including physical and nutritional rehabilitation, speech therapy, evaluation of swallowing disorders, completion of prolonged medical regimens, treatment of affective disorders, development of strategies for dealing with geriatric syndromes, restoration of skin integrity, prevention of polypharmacy, and comprehensive discharge planning.
The GEM is also an increasingly important resource for older patients who require services that cannot reasonably be obtained on an outpatient basis yet do not require admission to an acute-care bed. Examples of this usage include frail patients requiring evaluation of multiple problems that are very difficult to transport to and from clinics, as well as situations where clients and caregivers are not capable of performing outpatient preparation for diagnostic procedures, such as colonoscopy. Currently located at Unit 1B in the Eugene J. Towbin Healthcare Center in North Little Rock, the GEM serves as an important source of patients for clinical research protocols designed to facilitate restoration of muscle mass and strength.
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