If you’re over 65 and have to visit the emergency room for something other than acute care, there’s a hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland, that caters to your age group. In November 2008, Holy Cross Hospital became the first in the country to create an emergency room specifically tailored to meet the needs of older people.

The hospital took advice from an advisory team of seniors and eldercare expert Dr. Bill H. Thomas and his team at the Erickson School at the University of Maryland to create the Holy Cross Hospital Seniors Emergency Center. It’s a separate, enclosed area of the main Emergency Center that’s “designed to meet the complex, uncertain needs” of elderly patients, many of whom arrive with multiple chronic illnesses, according to the hospital’s Web site.

While providing the same level of emergency room care, the environment is quieter and less chaotic and was designed to reduce anxiety, confusion, and the risk of falling. There are six curtained bays, a nursing station with increased visibility, two private patient rooms, and a room for private family consultations.

What else is different?

Color: When it came to decor, they consulted specialists who understood the aging eye. What might be a soothing blue to the younger eye can be perceived as more gray and dirty to an older person. So the facility’s walls are a gold-brown, with contrasting white. That also makes it easier to see where one examination room stops and another starts. Overhead lighting is controlled by a dimmer switch.

Flooring: The glare of a shiny floor can look like a hole or an obstacle, so the floors are faux wood that reflects light in a way that makes missteps less likely. They’re also not slick, as linoleum would be. Handrails line the walls.

Privacy: Walls, instead of curtains, divide the exam rooms.

Bedding: Mattresses are extra thick to help reduce pressure. Blanket warmers provide added comfort.

Staffing: Doctors and nurses are trained in geriatrics. There’s also a full-time geriatric social worker who gets to know the patient, finds out the underlying problems, and helps that person communicate.

Sounds: Using a television remote, patients can select a soft music channel or one with pastoral scenery to view. Special pillow speakers make listening to music or watching television more comfortable. Other noise-abatement features were added to the facility.

Refreshments: Coffee, bouillon, and juice are available.