With nearly half of Veterans over the age of 65, VA’s Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care (GEC) is leading the efforts to transform VHA into the largest age-friendly health system in the U.S. This summer, frontline staff from every Veterans Integrated Service Network gathered in Providence, Rhode Island, to accelerate the wide-spread adoption of the “Age-Friendly Health Systems” (AFHS) movement.
The two-day Age-Friendly Summit, supported by Diffusion of Excellence, convened leaders and champions to document lessons learned from early adopters and develop a five-year plan to ensure that all care for older Veterans is age-friendly.
Age-Friendly Health Systems
Age-Friendly Health Systems follows an essential set of evidenced-based practices called the 4Ms: What Matters, Medication, Mentation (Mind) and Mobility. At the core of these practices is value and respect for Veterans’ wishes and priorities with care plans based on what matters most to Veterans and their families.
Developing a five-year plan to ensure all care for older Veterans is age-friendly
As VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal said during his opening remarks, “Age-Friendly Health Systems is a high-reliability approach to continuously improve care and achieve zero harm. When implemented together, the 4Ms serve as a whole health approach where care is focused and aligned with each Veteran’s unique mission, aspiration or purpose.”
Why age-friendly care is needed now more than ever
Presenters and participants identified priorities and creative approaches to spread the 4Ms across the continuum of care in VHA. Topics included 4Ms education, evaluation and leadership engagement in this movement.
In her address, Dr. Carolyn Clancy reported that by 2060 the U.S. expects the number of older adults to skyrocket to 94.7 million people, challenging health care systems to meet this demand. Clancy is assistant under secretary for Health for Discovery, Education and Affiliate Networks.
VA “has been paving the way for age-friendly care for decades” and is uniquely positioned to lead the way for all health care providers in the U.S.,” Clancy emphasized. “For nearly half a century, VA has been a leader in care for older adults, having established the geriatric research, education and health centers in 1975.”
Maintaining the momentum
Attendees left the summit to return to their home facilities with a plan to engage their colleagues and facility leadership. Kimberly Church, AFHS national lead, said GEC is already preparing to recruit new facilities to the second Age-Friendly Action Community set to begin in January 2024.
To learn more about AFHS, visit the Diffusion Marketplace or www.va.gov/geriatrics.
Want to learn more about innovation at VA? Visit our website, subscribe to our weekly newsletter, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
https://news.va.gov/122426/age-friendly-summit-what-matters-older-veterans/
