HEALTH
“We make additional calls in the history gathering process,”
Sasson says.
“Seniors have confusion,” says Lex Lalicon, director of
emergency services at the hospital’s Darwin Square facility.
“They come in and feel afraid and alone. We make them comfortable
and decrease the anxiety level. Each patient’s care is
complex.”
The ER staff knows, for example, not to address an older
woman as sweetie or honey. It’s all part of the sensitivity
training being taught to emergency room personnel.
The attention to detail in the senior rooms is impressive.
Handrails lead to the bathroom. Next to the bed with an
extra-thick mattress is a pneumatic call button, a phone with
easy-to-read numbers and a stepstool. Two foldout seats are
for family members. All hospital forms are in 18-point type.
Pillow speakers for the TV, a blanket warmer and booties add
to the comfort level.
If hearing is a problem, there is a device the patient can
adjust to hear the doctor. If the patients don’t have their
glasses, the box on the wall has glasses with several different
strengths. The ER goes through a large box of glasses every
month. The high windows were installed specifically to allow
patients to know whether it’s day or night.
Each room has a cabinet that opens out to a full workstation.
A movable light is available should the room be needed
for surgery. The back wall has a dozen different lifesaving
tools at the ready.
The six Senior Friendly Care rooms, the first of their kind
in South Florida, were added in December 2013 during an expansion
of the ER, increasing the square footage from 10,000
to 16,000 and rooms increased from 24 to 35. >>
Lex Lalicon, director of emergency services at St. Lucie Medical Center’s
Darwin Square facility, shows the capabilities of Wally, the robotic camera
that allows patient inspections by on-call doctors from remote locations.
Port St. Lucie Magazine 17
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