SPITEX BASEL & Adullam hospitals
Can very elderly people with geriatric diseases be treated successfully at home instead of in hospital? A care model using this approach is being trialled in Basel.
For elderly people with multiple illnesses, an inpatient hospital stay entails an increased risk of confusion, loss of mobility or independence.
This risk can be reduced if patients are treated, cared for and monitored by healthcare professionals in their own homes. This is made possible by advances in medicine, nursing, therapy and technology. This is referred to as “Hospital at Home” .
Hospital at Home for people aged 75+
Numerous “Hospital at Home” initiatives in Switzerland aim to shorten inpatient stays and continue hospital treatment at home.
The SPITEX BASEL Foundation and the hospitals of the Adullam Foundation are taking a different approach:
- Treatment in acute-care hospitals should be avoided: suitable elderly patients with acute illnesses are to receive comprehensive, closely monitored treatment and care at home. The aim is to maintain their independence as far as possible and improve patients’ quality of life and treatment.
- Existing resources and structures are to be used through cooperation: an outpatient and an inpatient service provider work together as partners. As a result, there is no need to establish new structures.
The two non-profit organisations are assessing the feasibility of this approach as part of the pilot project Hospital at Home Basel-Stadt: a care model for people with geriatric conditions.
The project involves people who are receiving nursing care from SPITEX BASEL and for whom treatment in hospital is likely to be required. SPITEX BASEL and the Adullam hospitals are developing an interprofessional care model for this patient group. This will be tested in practice as part of a pilot project.
The Sympany Foundation is providing financial support for the preliminary project.
A Sympany Foundation project.
