Geriatric Emergency Management (GEM)

Our Geriatric Emergency Management program, GEM, is a service available within the ER at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Hospital.  Our goal is to deliver targeted geriatric assessment to high-risk seniors and to help our seniors access appropriate services in order to maximize functional status, independence and quality of life.

Seniors often arrive at our ER presenting multiple risk factors.  They tend to have several health issues with multiple medications, Mobility issues & cognitive impairment can complicate treatment.  Discharge with no readily available caregiver or support system can lead to early re-admission.  Of all seniors discharged, 44% will return within six months.

The goal of our GEM program is to address this trend.  The first step is to identify, within our ER, seniors at risk and to provide a timely and accurate assessment, identifying geriatric syndromes and functional ability issues.  The second step is to communicate identified issues to ER staff, hospital staff on treatment floors, family and to community support services.  The third step is to provide referrals and recommendations to geriatric services such as family doctor, specialists, clinics, mental health resources, homecare and CCAC as required. 

We currently have two qualified GEM nurses and together they provide services from 07:00 to 20:00 weekdays and 08:00 to 16:00 weekends.  In addition, CCAC provides case management personnel.

Although our GEM program is situated within our ER, we also provide consultative services regarding geriatric issues to other departments within Hôtel-Dieu Grace Hospital.