Nurses Improving Care for Health system Elders (NICHE) imparts principles and tools to stimulate changes in clinical practice to achieve patient-centered nursing care for older adults in health care facilities. The vision of NICHE is that all older adults, age 65 and over, receive age-friendly, exemplary nursing care.
During 2021, 1,104 older adults were served by Aurora Medical Center-Kenosha NICHE-certified Senior Resource Nurses (SRNs) to ensure they received care that promotes function, autonomy, and dignity. Services provided include home visits, clinic referrals, cognitive screens, and Aurora at Home referrals.
In addition to the care our senior resource nurses provided:
- 190 community members were educated on Advance Directives with 97 completing an Advance Directive
- 540 individuals also received family guidance and support services and 67 received medication management and safety education
- 100% of our Emergency Department patients aged 65 years and older were identified for screening with the Identification of Seniors at Risk (ISAR) tool. 5% of those screened were identified as “at-risk” and were referred for support services
- 141 group exercise classes were provided at the Kenosha Senior Center with an average attendance of 19 individuals per class; 25 new participants attended throughout the year
Our senior resource nurses remained connected with clients throughout the pandemic to ensure they could access their providers and other wellness resources virtually or by telephone while remaining safe in their homes.