OVAHCS Joins National Age Friendly Health Systems Initiative

As part of the Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative, The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, in partnership with the American Hospital Association and the Catholic Health Association of the United States, are helping hospitals and other care settings implement a set of evidence-based interventions specifically designed to improve care for older adults.

The interventions can be tested and adapted by participating in Age-Friendly Health Systems Action Communities. These collaborative initiatives bring together health care teams committed to sharing data and learning together. All teams strive toward reliably implementing age-friendly best practices across emergency departments, intensive care units, medical-surgical units, general wards, and primary and specialty care settings.

The OVAHCS now joins an international group of more than 2,700 health systems working to tailor care to patients’ goals and preferences and to deliver care that is consistently of the highest quality.

“We have always been on the forefront of ensuring optimal care for all Veterans. Greater than 50% of Veterans are over the age of 65,” said Chief of Staff, Dr. Lisa Zacher. “Taking part in this movement will help us with implementing new practices and determine additional best practices in our emergency department, intensive care unit, medical surgical unit, general wards, and in primary and specialty care settings in this important demographic.”

The initiative is based on a series of practices focused on addressing four essential elements of care for older patients:

• What Matters: Know and align care with each older adult'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 adult, Mobility, or Mentation across settings of care.
• Mentation: Prevent, identify, treat, and manage dementia, depression, and delirium across settings of care.
• Mobility: Ensure that older adults move safely every day in order to maintain function and do What Matters.

“This important movement is part of our overarching vision to provide every older Veteran with the very best care possible,” said OVAHCS Health System Director, Timothy J. Cooke. “Ensuring safe, high-quality health care based on what matters most to the patient is at the foundation of our organization.”

Melanie Thomas, Public Affairs Officer

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