Dr. Mary Tinetti, Chief of Geriatrics, Yale School of Medicine and Yale-New Haven Hospital
According to the US Census Bureau, the US population aged 65+ years is expected to nearly double over the next 30 years, from 43.1 million in 2012 to an estimated 83.7 million in 2050. These demographic advances, however extraordinary, have left our health systems behind as they struggle to reliably provide evidence-based practice to every older adult at every care interaction.
Age-Friendly Health Systems is an initiative of
The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), in partnership with the
American Hospital Association (AHA) and the
Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA), designed to meet this challenge head on.
Age-Friendly Health Systems aim to:
- Follow an essential set of evidence-based practices;
- Cause no harm; and
- Align with What Matters to the older adult and their family caregivers.
What Does It Mean to Be Age-Friendly?
Becoming an Age-Friendly Health System entails reliably providing a set of four evidence-based elements of high-quality care, known as the “4Ms,” to all older adults in your system: What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility.
How to Practice the 4Ms by Care Setting: Learn more >>
Now Available: Age-Friendly Health Systems: A Guide to Using the 4Ms While Caring for Older Adults
The John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF) and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) have released a comprehensive, easy-to-use guide for healthcare professionals: Age-Friendly Health Systems: A Guide to Using the 4Ms While Caring for Older Adults
Co-edited by JAHF President, Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, and IHI Vice President, Leslie Pelton, MPA.