Three New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation hospitals have been designated as NICHE facilities, “senior-friendly” hospitals designed to meet the special needs of hospitalized elder adults, according to a news release. HHC also announced that another four public hospitals were beginning the path toward NICHE designation.

HHC’s Harlem Hospital Center, North Central Bronx Hospital and Queens Hospital Center achieved the NICHE certification and have adopted age-sensitive, patient-centered best practices in elderly care. HHC’s Jacobi, Lincoln, Elmhurst and Coney Island hospitals began the required nurse leadership training this fall. Nearly 20 percent of patients hospitalized at HHC facilities are 65 or older.

“A hospitalization can be a defining event in a senior’s life. It can either improve quality of life or can result in irreversible complications,” said Lauren Johnston, RN, HHC CNE and senior assistant vice pPresident of the office of patient center care, in a news release. “The NICHE certification means HHC has senior-friendly processes in place and the proper resources to address common and serious issues among hospitalized older adults – medication use, community care options, dementia, falls and vision loss, self-care for family caregivers, discharge planning, and much more.”