Join the Movement
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. The 4Ms framework consists of:
What Matters: Know and align care with each older Veteran's specific health outcome goals and care preferences including, but not limited to, end-of-life care, and across settings of care.
Medication: If medication is necessary, use Age-Friendly medications that do not interfere with what matters to the older Veteran, mobility or mentation across settings of care.
Mentation (Mind): Prevent, identify, treat, and manage dementia, depression and delirium across settings of care.
Mobility: Ensure that older Veterans move safely every day to maintain function and do what matters.
How to Become an Age-Friendly Health System
IHI recognizes clinical care settings that are working toward reliable practice of evidence-based interventions for all older adults in their care known using the 4M Framework. As of January 2023, more than 2,900 health care organizations have earned either Level 1 Participant (Teams have successfully developed plans to implement the 4Ms) or Level 2 Committed to Care Excellence (Teams have three months of data of older adults who received 4Ms care) recognition in the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement.
Step 1)
Select the 4Ms Care Description worksheet that best corresponds to your site of care:
- Hospital | Download Worksheet
- Nursing Home | Download Worksheet
- Ambulatory Care | Download Worksheet
- Convenient Care Clinic | Download Worksheet
- Hospitals That Have Achieved Geriatric Surgery Verification | Download Worksheet
- Sites That Have Achieved Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation | Download Worksheet
- Committed to Care Excellence Counts (multiple sites) | Download Worksheet
Step 2)
Email your completed 4Ms Care Description worksheet to AFHS@ihi.org. You should receive an email with information about your Level 1 Particpation recognition status within three weeks.
Additional Resources for Recognition
Download the Guide to Using the 4Ms in the Care of Older Adults for your care setting to learn about the 4Ms Framework and how to become an Age-Friendly Health System:
- Hospital/Ambulatory Practice | Download Guide
- Nursing Homes | Download Guide
- Recognition for Geriatric Surgery Verification Hospitals | Download Guide
- Recognition for Geriatric Emergency Department Accredited Sites | Download Guide
- Convenient Care Clinics | Download Guide
- What Matters to Older Adults? | Download Guide
- Age-Friendly Health Systems Workbook for Nursing Home Teams | Download Guide
Join our Community
The VA Age-Friendly Action Community teaches participants how to apply the 4Ms of an Age-Friendly Health System and earn recognition for their healthcare facility through a series of monthly webinars and coaching calls. Visit the link below for more information and to register. (VA access required)
Contact Age-Friendly at VA
Have questions about becoming an Age-Friendly Health System at VA? Contact the Team at agefriendly@va.gov and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.