Saint Louis University Hospital is the only area hospital to be listed in top 10 for Geriatrics

Older adults in the St. Louis region have the eighth best hospital in the nation nearby for diagnosis and treatment of age-related illnesses and disorders. Saint Louis University Hospital is the only St. Louis area hospital to be ranked among the top 10 geriatric programs in U.S.News & World Report’s 2005 edition of “America’s Best Hospitals”.

The hospital partners with Saint Louis University School of Medicine to deliver inpatient and outpatient hospital services focusing on the complex healthcare needs of the elderly. Saint Louis University Hospital was one of the first in the area to offer an Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) Unit, designed to prevent loss of physical function while patients are treated for an acute illness so they may return to their previous state of independence. Instead of treating the acute illness, then sending the patient for "rehab," the ACE Unit emphasizes "pre-rehab" by starting therapy on day one, eating meals together and focusing on other strategies that are important in treating older patients. Several special features of the ACE Unit include a Delirium Room (a four-bed intensive care type unit), nurses highly skilled in caring for the acute care needs of older adults and a multidisciplinary team approach to care.

Saint Louis University Hospital is also recognized among the top 50 hospitals in the nation for treatment of kidney diseases and disorders in U.S.News & World Report’s 2005 edition of “America’s Best Hospitals”.