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.

What Is an Age-Friendly Health System?

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.
   

Learn more about upcoming Action Communities

What Does It Mean to Be an Age-Friendly Health System?

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.

4Ms Framework of an Age-Friendly Health System

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Learn more about How to Practice the 4Ms by Care Setting

Connect and Learn with the Age-Friendly Health Systems Movement

Join Friends of Age-Friendly Health Systems for updates about the movement, notification about quarterly webinars, access to experts, and further support on the 4Ms Framework.

• Sign up for the Friends of Age-Friendly newsletter
• Friends of Age-Friendly Webinars: Recording links and descriptions for each webinar

Upcoming Friends of Age-Friendly webinar: Monday, October 7, 2024 from 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ET.

AHRQ, CMS, and UCSF on Advancing Age-Friendly Care 

Hear from Dr. Michelle Schreiber of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) about how CMS is supporting age-friendly health care in the US, including the new Age-Friendly Hospital Measure. Dr. Arlene Bierman of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) will delve into AHRQ’s new strategic plan to optimize older adult’s health and well-being. Julia Adler-Milstein of the University of California, San Francisco, will introduce the newly launched Age-Friendly Health Systems Research Network. IHI President and CEO Dr. Kedar Mate will moderate the discussion.

Free registration required in advance for this Friends of Age-Friendly Health Systems webinar, Monday, October 7, 2024 from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET.