The geriatric inpatient mental health unit at Oklahoma City VA Health Care System reduced behavioral reports by 35% during the first year of implementing nonpharmacological interventions for veterans with dementia, according to a July 2026 American Hospital Association case study.
The reduction followed the unit’s adoption of Age-Friendly Health Systems principles, which focus on what matters to patients, medication, mentation and mobility. The improvements were sustained the following year.
The 15-bed unit began integrating age-friendly care principles in May 2020. It provides short-term psychiatric care for veterans age 65 or older, many of whom have complex medical and psychiatric conditions.
The unit also implemented a nursing-led hydration project that contributed to fewer patient falls. Falls decreased to fewer than 10 per month over the next three months, according to the case study.
Additionally, the unit developed an Age-Friendly Warm Huddle handoff protocol to improve transitions for patients discharged to assisted living facilities or nursing homes.
The Oklahoma City VA Medical Center serves over 66,000 veterans across 50 counties in Oklahoma and Texas and includes a 192-bed teaching hospital.
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