Geriatric Emergency Management

The GEM service at Sunnybrook consists of Geriatric Nurse Clinicians who work in the Emergency Department. These GEM nurses have specialized knowledge of the issues that seniors present in acute care. They collaborate with the Emergency Department team to assess frail, at-risk seniors and link them to appropriate resources and specialized geriatric services in the community. The patient's issues with falls and mobility, cognitive status, nutrition, elimination, mental health, safety, functional status and self-care are identified and addressed.

Sunnybrook pioneered the GEM nurse role in 1995 when our Emergency Department had the first GEM nurse in Ontario. There are now 90 GEM nurses across the province.