Kettering Health Network’s 12 emergency departments have been accredited as senior-friendly by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).

The ACEP’s Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) program is an effort to improve and standardize emergency care for senior patients. The GEDA program encourages health systems to continue improving the quality of care for senior patients. At Kettering Health Network emergency departments, senior patients will have a dedicated specially trained physician and patient champion to oversee their care.

“Having all of our emergency departments accredited as senior-friendly is a great achievement and illustrates our commitment to delivering high-quality, compassionate care for everyone, including our senior patients,” said John Weimer, vice president of Emergency, Trauma, and Operations Command Center for Kettering Health Network. “All of our emergency departments provide a high level of senior-focused care that reflects our commitment to meeting the care needs of our senior patients.”

Senior-focused care will be especially important in the coming years because of the rapid increase in the size of the 65 and older population. U.S. Census Bureau estimates show the nation’s 65 and older population has grown by 34.2% during the past decade, due to the increase in the national median age from 37.2 in 2010 to 38.4 in 2019.