OAKBEND MEDICAL CENTER’S ACE UNIT: Providing Specialized Care for Our Elderly – Close to Home

Dr. Owen Capocyan with patient Velma Bernard and Cyril Amoin, RN.

Dr. Owen Capocyan with patient Velma Bernard and Cyril Amoin, RN.

COVER STORY | By Trish Johnson | Photos by Mary Favre –

Illness, medical traumas and surgeries create stress and take a physical and emotional toll not only on patients, but on the families of patients as well. Add into the mix that your loved one is elderly, and the situation can become even more complex. Physicians agree that for elderly patients and their families, the physical and emotional stress related to health care issues is often intensified.

To help alleviate that stress, Fort Bend County’s OakBend Medical Center has opened the only Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) Unit in the county. Opened in December 2014 and located on the third floor of OakBend Medical Center at 1705 Jackson Street, the unit cares for patients 65 years and older, who at an initial assessment in either the admitting offices or in the emergency room, can benefit from the ACE Unit, according to OakBend’s Dr. Owen Capocyan. “When we assess patients,” Capocyan explained, “we are screening for cognitive function, depression and the amount of activity involved in their daily living.”

Specialized Care

Patient Howard Cameron working with therapist Stacey Smith.

Patient Howard Cameron working with therapist Stacey Smith.

A board certified family practice physician with fellowship training in geriatrics, as well as experience in hospice and palliative care, Capocyan is a native of the Philippines where he attended the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. After coming to the United States in 2000, he completed his residency at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in Odessa, Texas, where he also trained in geriatrics.

“With the ACE Unit,” Capocyan said, “our goal is to have our patients in the hospital for 3.5 or fewer days, 40 percent shorter than on average for the elderly. The ACE Unit helps us preserve or even improve physical and cognitive functionality in the elderly during their stay.”

According to Capocyan, each weekday morning begins with a meeting of a geriatrician, pharmacist, nutritionist, speech therapist, nurse and case manager or social worker. “We assess each patient’s physical function and mental state, as well as their medications. We go over their doctor’s orders, and if necessary, make recommendations to their doctor.”

The OakBend unit has been named a NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders) site recognizing OakBend’s ongoing commitment to geriatric nursing care, and because the unit is dedicated to the elderly, the staff have advanced their skills to the highest level to provide specialized care to the elderly patients in the community.

Ashley Valdez, RN.

Ashley Valdez, RN.

A Unique Healing Environment

As Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of OakBend Medical Center, Joe Freudenberger participates in the continuum of care for this special population by keeping his finger on the pulse of the ACE Unit. “As the only unit of its kind in Fort Bend County, the ACE Unit is specifically designed with the elderly in mind to engage patients and their families in the healing process by providing a warm, optimistic environment resulting in better outcomes.”

Design features of the unit, Freudenberger noted, include non-glare, wood-look flooring in place of the traditional shiny tile to help eliminate the fear of slipping and to encourage patients to get out of bed and move around the unit. Additionally, contrasting tiles in the floor near walls and other obstacles also give patients more confidence while walking through the unit.

 The common area of OakBend Medical Center’s ACE Unit.

The common area of OakBend Medical Center’s ACE Unit.

“The entire floor is designed to make the elderly feel more comfortable and to speed their recovery,” said Capocyan. “We have the family living room, where patients can visit with their families outside of their hospital rooms, and their families can be involved in their care. We have designed the lights specifically for older eyes, because visual perception in the elderly is different from that of younger patients. The furniture is lower, which provides a level of comfortability for the elderly and also helps to prevent falls.”

With a communal dining room on the unit, patients are encouraged to get out of their beds and interact with others three times a day, including with friends and family. “The recommendation is for patients to be out of their beds at least one hour a day,” Capocyan said. “Even if they spend a half hour out of their beds for each meal, that means the patients will be out of their beds for 1.5 hours a day.”

“Another feature that aids in the healing process is group physical therapy,” added Freudenberger. “This therapy is conducted multiple times each day in the unit’s common area. This space has an open floor plan and offers multiple seating areas around a central fireplace, television and aquariums. The social aspect of this activity is very important as it promotes optimism, which engages the patients and ultimately leads to better outcomes.”

Positive Outcomes

Dr. Owen Capocyan and OakBend Medical Center CEO Joe Freudenberger.

Dr. Owen Capocyan and OakBend Medical Center CEO Joe Freudenberger.

With three double-occupancy rooms and seven single-occupancy rooms, the ACE Unit is at capacity at 13 patients, Freudenberger said. “Since we opened, the ACE Unit has operated at near capacity. At times, we have a waiting list of patients waiting for a room to become available.

“Patient response to the ACE Unit has been overwhelmingly positive,” Freudenberger added. “We’ve received many comments about the care our patients received while here and what an impact the environment makes. Family and friends who visit the unit have an equally positive response.”

And it’s not just the patients who are singing the praises of OakBend’s ACE Unit. “We received a great compliment from The Joint Commission during their most recent accreditation visit,” shared Freudenberger. “The surveyors praised the ACE Unit for creating an environment that is the most conducive to healing.”

Freudenberger cited a testimonial from former Rosenberg Mayor Vincent M. Morales, Jr. in which Morales said, “I spent nine days in the ACE Unit at OakBend. From the minute I arrived, everyone was so nice and extremely helpful. I saw many patients come and go during my time there, and they treated everyone like that. Thanks to OakBend, I was able to get early treatment, which has helped me get to where I am today. It’s a blessing that we have a quality, community-minded hospital so close to home.”

“I’m confident we’ll continue to grow,” Capocyan said of the ACE Unit. “This unit is something I would never have dreamed I would be able to work in. I’m really excited about our results and our future.”

OakBend Medical Center is committed to serving the residents of Fort Bend County and surrounding communities at all locations, which include three hospitals, four emergency centers, five outpatient imaging centers, six outpatient surgery departments and 12 physician offices at six convenient locations throughout the county and surrounding areas.

For more information, visit oakbendmedcenter.org or call 281-341-3000.


OAKBEND MEDICAL CENTER’S: Preparing for the Future

Brittany Phillips and Jacob Diaz.

Brittany Phillips and Jacob Diaz.

OakBend Medical Center CEO Joe Freudenberger, who holds an MBA in Finance from Tulane University, explains the success of the hospital’s Acute Care for the Elderly (ACE) Unit as a result of careful planning and operation.

“Down to the smallest detail, the ACE Unit was designed with the elderly in mind,” he said, pointing out a few of the fine details incorporated into the unit’s design:

• Nurse’s station lowered to desk level, encouraging patient engagement and family involvement.
• Indirect lighting replacing fluorescent lighting, providing a softer, warmer environment.
• Patient dining area where families may join patients for meals. Group physical therapy several times daily in common area.
• Fireplace and aquariums in common area providing a warm, inviting space for families to visit with their loved one.
• Warm, wood-look flooring instead of stark, shiny, slippery tile. NICHE staff designation, for Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders.

According to Freudenberger, an expansion of the ACE Unit is included in the hospital’s Vision 2020 Capital Campaign. The expansion will provide for six additional patient rooms, increasing the capacity by almost 50 percent.

Vision 2020 will also take the signature concepts of the ACE Unit throughout other patient areas of the hospital, including the Emergency Center, Medical/Surgical floors and the Skilled Nursing facility. The projects included in Vision 2020 will bring the most advanced concepts for a healing environment to OakBend, creating a space that inspires optimism, encourages healing and provides the highest quality healthcare for the people of Fort Bend County.