AGE-FRIENDLY HEALTH SYSTEM
What is an Age-Friendly Health System
As we age, care often becomes more complex. Health systems frequently are not prepared for this complexity and as a result, older adults can suffer a disproportionate amount of harm while in the care of the health system. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement created an essential set of evidence-based practices, known as the 4Ms – What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility, which represents a broad shift of health systems to focus on the needs of older adults. Age-Friendly Health Systems are health care systems that use the 4Ms framework.
Each element of the 4Ms Framework
What Matters
Know and align care with health outcome goals and preferences of each older adult.
Mobility
Assess and monitor a daily mobility goal; create home environments safe for mobility.
Medication
Review high-risk medication use; deprescribe or decide not to prescribe if necessary; ensure medication do not interfere with other 4Ms.
Mentation
Monitor mental and cognitive well-being; manage mental and cognitive concerns of older adults and their caregiver.
Introducing the 4Ms Framework for an Age-Friendly Health System
Produced by the CATCH-ON team, Rush University Medical Center.
NIHAN-GWEP's Action Plan for the 4Ms
- Ask and document advance care planning.
- Promote shared decision-making according to cultural and linguistic diversity.
- Screen for mobility limitations and ensure safe mobility.
- Identify and manage factors to mobility limitations and their resolutions.
- Review high-risk medications according to the American Geriatrics Society Beer's Criteria in 2019.
- Deprescribe or avoid high-risk medication use and communicate changes.
- Educate dementia caregivers and refer out when caregivers are burnt out.
- Identify and manage factors contributing to depression and refer out to mental health services.
- Screen for dementia and depression.
Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program Coordinating Center (GWEP-CC)
The American Geriatrics Society(AGS)’s Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program Coordinating Center (GWEP-CC) is supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation and serves as a strategic resource for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)’s GWEP programs. The goal of the GWEP-CC is to support GWEPs by providing programming and resources that are tailored to their needs and focused on preparing the healthcare workforce to care for older adults. [statement from AGS website]
GWEP-CC has launched GWEP-CC Age-Friendly Action Community on January 15, 2020 to support the GWEPs and their primary care partners on their journey to become age-friendly. The GWEP-CC has designed the Action Community as an on-ramp for primary care practices to test and adopt the 4Ms.
The GWEP-CC Age-Friendly Action Community hosts monthly webinars for GWEPs and their primary care partners by applying on-line learning communities including topical webinars, peer coaching calls, data sharing, resource repository, and live case studies.
Click to download a pdf file for GWEP-CC Frequently Asked Questions regarding the Action Community.
GWEP-CC Online Community Tools and Resources are accessible at no cost. Go to GWEP Online Community at www.GWEPonline.org that is linked to the AGS webpage to create a new account. After completing registration, you can access to GWEP-CC Tools and Resources and subscribe their monthly newsletter.