Korean J Geriatr Gerontol.  2017 Jun;18(1):8-14. 10.15656/kjcg.2017.18.1.8.

Senior Friendly Hospital: A New Paradigm for the Hospital-based Care of the Elderly

• Kim YS
• Han SH
• Lee JM
• Shin GJE
• Choi JK
• Park JM

• KMID: 2566465
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.15656/kjcg.2017.18.1.8

Abstract

Senior friendly hospital, which is a new paradigm of elderly medical service, is a future-oriented elderly medical management system that can improve the quality of life, health and safety by offering a safe medical treatment system to optimize the participation for self-oriented health management and to respect individuals’ decision making, when it comes to therapeutic intervention. Seeing some cases of a few advanced countries which has already implemented senior friendly hospital system, not only is it an evidence-based medical system, which focuses on applying the general system and culture of the acute phase hospital, but also it has experienced the physical environmental change. Its therapeutic excellence for the elderly has been demonstrated by emphasizing the strengthening of ability through education and training of participating employees. Therefore, in order to establish the senior friendly hospital voluntarily, and recognize the significance of elderly medical service in the medical institution in Korea, active consideration of introducing the senior friendly hospital accreditation system under the support of Ministry of Health and Welfare is necessary, as in the case of Taiwan.

Keyword

Senior friendly hospital; Elderly; Acute hospital; Paradigm; Accreditation