Delivering Reliable, Age-Friendly Care, Worldwide
Building Safer, Age-Friendly Systems of Care
Supporting governments, health systems, and care organizations worldwide to improve care for older adults through evidence-based, age-friendly practices.
Disability caused by age-related chronic disease is rising in every region of the world, requiring care that is safer, evidence-based, and responsive to what older adults want and need.
To meet this global challenge, IHI collaborates with governments, health systems, and professional organizations worldwide to implement the 4Ms Framework of Age-Friendly Health Systems: What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility.
Using improvement science and hands-on guidance, IHI empowers organizations to embed age-friendly care into daily practice across care settings, reducing harm, improving outcomes, and building the capability needed to sustain those gains over time.
Dr. Raneem Milyani Director of Integrated Services Delivery
Ministry for National Guard Health Affairs (MNGHA), Saudi Arabia
Ministry for National Guard Health Affairs (MNGHA), Saudi Arabia
"The IHI team has been very professional, knowledgeable, and responsive. They accommodated our requests in very short time and showed great flexibility in adjusting plans to our evolving needs. It’s a pleasure working with them—so committed to meaningful impact."
Age-Friendly Health Systems
As of April 2026, IHI has recognized 5,916 hospitals, ambulatory practices, and nursing homes as Age-Friendly Health Systems. More than 8 million older adults have received 4Ms-based care.
The movement has gained momentum across the United States and internationally, reflecting the significance of population aging, its global implications, and the growing number of health systems, scientific groups, and international organizations committed to improving the lives of older adults and those who care for them.
Consulting with IHI enables:
- System-Wide Adoption: Health systems implement the 4Ms across hospitals, clinics, and post-acute care settings, establishing consistent, evidence-based care wherever older adults receive services.
- Improved Outcomes and Safety: Care teams align treatment decisions with What Matters while optimizing medication use, supporting mentation, and promoting mobility. Outcomes improve, adverse events decrease, and older adults and caregivers report better care experiences.
- Scalability and Sustainability: Organizations use improvement science to spread the 4Ms across departments and sites, moving from pilot efforts to durable, system-wide transformation in how care for older adults is delivered and measured.
Adopting age-friendly care practices is a starting point. Sustaining them across a health system requires a dedicated strategy and ongoing capability building. IHI collaborates with local, national, and global organizations to co-design adaptive, data-informed solutions that drive lasting, continuous improvement throughout communities.
Our goal is to equip your teams with the ability to deliver age-friendly care that is integrated, measurable, and self-sustaining, long after our active consulting engagement ends.
Resources
Insights and Evidence
See our work, view real‑world findings, and proven strategies to advance age‑friendly care.
Tools and Frameworks
Practical tools to help teams apply the 4Ms reliably across care settings.
Courses and Training
Certification and training programs that equip teams to deliver consistent age-friendly care.
Action Communities
Peer learning networks that support organizations implementing and scaling age‑friendly care.
Ready to Deliver Better, Age-Friendly Care for Older Adults?
For organizations committed to providing age-friendly care, IHI offers customized consultation support to achieve system-wide spread. This includes specialized services aimed at supporting system leadership, clinical leadership, and point-of-care operations to adopt 4Ms care practices through many care settings.
Tell Us About Your Priorities in Age-Friendly Health Care