Emergency Geriatrics
Advancing Age-Friendly Emergency Care Through Innovation, Collaboration, & Compassion
Improving Outcomes Through Specialized Geriatric Care
As our population continues to age, the need for specialized emergency care for older adults has never been greater. The Section of Emergency Geriatrics within the Department of Emergency Medicine is dedicated to improving the care, safety, and outcomes of geriatric patients across our clinical environments.
Our programs focus on delivering evidence-informed, multidisciplinary care that addresses the unique medical, functional, cognitive, and social needs of older adults in the emergency setting. Through clinical innovation, education, and collaborative partnerships, we strive to provide care that is both patient-centered and age-friendly.
Both of our primary clinical sites have received Level III Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) through the American College of Emergency Physicians, recognizing our commitment to advancing geriatric emergency care standards.
Our Approach to Geriatric Emergency Care
Our team follows the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s “4Ms” framework for Age-Friendly Health Systems:
- Mobility – Supporting safe movement and reducing fall risk
- Medications – Reviewing medications to reduce adverse effects and complications
- Mentation – Identifying and addressing delirium, dementia, and cognitive concerns
- What Matters – Aligning care with each patient’s goals, values, and priorities
Whether patients require aggressive intervention, supportive care, or palliative-focused approaches, our goal remains the same: maximizing safety, independence, dignity, and quality of life.
Clinical & Program Highlights
Accredited Geriatric Emergency Departments
- Memorial Hermann–Texas Medical Center became Houston’s first accredited Geriatric Emergency Department, with LBJ Hospital following shortly thereafter. Both programs were developed with support from the UTHealth Houston Consortium on Aging and the Wyatt Ranches Foundation.
Geriatric Trauma Initiatives
- At MHH–TMC, one of the nation’s busiest Level I trauma centers, our teams are advancing geriatric trauma care through specialized assessment protocols and early ultrasound evaluation to identify occult hypoperfusion and reduce downstream mortality in older trauma patients.
Elder Mistreatment Screening & Intervention
- Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) Hospital is one of only a small number of institutions nationally involved in developing and implementing rapid emergency department screening and intervention processes for elder abuse and neglect through the EM-SART initiative.
Hearing & Communication Support
- To improve communication and reduce cognitive burden among hard-of-hearing patients, our programs provide hearing screening resources and hearing amplification devices designed to enhance understanding during emergency care encounters.
Academic & Clinical Initiatives
Emergency Geriatrics at UTHealth Houston is deeply integrated into our department’s academic mission. Faculty collaborate across specialties including trauma surgery, hospital medicine, nursing, biomedical informatics, and palliative care to advance education, quality improvement, and research initiatives focused on older adults.
The section also supports learner development through mentorship, resident leadership opportunities, and interdisciplinary educational experiences centered on geriatric emergency medicine.