Nurses Improving Care for Health System Elders (NICHE)

Hospital use by people ages 65 and older has increased substantially. The percentage of discharged patients in this age group rose from 20% in 1970 to 38% in 2002, while the percentage of discharged patients younger than 65 either decreased or did not rise. In 2002 patients ages 65 and older accounted for 45% of hospital days of care; the average length of stay was 5.8 days, longer than in any other age group. This Nursing Counts describes NICHE, a program designed to respond to the special needs of hospitalized older adults.