In 2007, Martha Stewart helped launch a New York centre for older adults; a second opened in 2019, bringing more than 20 specialist medical care and wellness services under one roof

Martha Stewart has built a career on recipes, home projects and a business empire. Through all of it, one thing has stayed the same: she cares. She showed it in 2007, when she helped launch the Martha Stewart Center for Living at Mount Sinai Hospital on the Upper East Side. She cared about good food, and she cared about people, especially older people who need the most help. Though her work in New York hospitals gets less attention than her television shows and products, it reaches a group that struggles every day: older adults who manage chronic illnesses, daily tasks and worried families.

Martha Stewart Center for Living

In 2007, she gifted Mount Sinai the Martha Stewart Center for Living. Her inspiration was her mother, Martha Kostyra, who lived an active life until the age of 93. She wanted everyone to enjoy that same sense of well-being as they grew older. The goal was to treat older people as whole individuals, not just as a list of diagnoses.In 2019, a second centre opened downtown at 10 Union Square. Here, patients can see specialists in more than 20 fields, including cardiology, gastroenterology, cancer care, dermatology, orthopaedics and rheumatology. Radiology and physical therapy are also available on site. Think of it as a one-stop shop for wellness as well as treatment.“The idea was simple: give older adults the services and support they need to live with health and dignity,” Nathan Goldstein, MD, professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and chief of geriatrics for Mount Sinai Downtown, said in an earlier release.

Care beyond treating illnesses

What makes the centre unique is its approach to elderly health and care. Instead of just treating illnesses, the centre offers care and wellness programmes. These include tai chi, yoga, music therapy, nutrition planning and fall prevention programmes. The centre also conducts seminars for seniors on various topics, including planning, medication management, depression, long-term care insurance and financial advice.Every new patient receives a full geriatric assessment. Doctors ask about emotional well-being, family support, coping skills and daily functioning, not just medical problems. Each patient is also assigned a social worker. Family members and caregivers can join support groups.“We call it the Center for Living for a reason,” Goldstein said. “We take care of very sick older adults with complicated medical histories, of course, but our goal is ensuring wellness through holistic, interdisciplinary and patient-centred care. And a large part of that is empowering adults aged 65 and older to make their own healthcare decisions and participate directly in their own health maintenance.”

Fewer hospital visits

Patients at the Martha Stewart centres have half as many emergency room visits as other older adults, according to Mount Sinai data. Their hospital stays are shorter, and readmissions after a hospital stay are 50 per cent lower. The health system also says the downtown centre recorded nearly 5,000 patient visits in its first year.“We have an incredibly dedicated staff of physicians, nurse practitioners, social workers and others who know our patients beyond their clinical needs. They know the life stories of our patients as well as their families,” Dr Goldstein said.

Training the next generation

Along with providing treatment and wellness programmes, the centre also trains doctors. These include medical students, pharmacy residents and postgraduate trainees. Physicians in training work alongside senior geriatricians on research into ageing and patient care.“Given this country’s rapidly ageing population, the need for the kind of specialised training in geriatrics we provide at our Center has never been greater. Developing the skills of physicians in outpatient medicine and ambulatory practice will be absolutely essential to keeping older adults functional and out of the hospital over the next 20 to 30 years,” Dr Goldstein added.The centre now plays a crucial role in how people age.