(March 29, 2021) Funded by The John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF) and led by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)—in partnership with the American Hospital Association and the Catholic Health Association of the United States—the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement prioritizes what matters most to an older adult. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the urgency among health systems to prioritize agefriendly care; from March 2020 through December 2020, 1,671 U.S. health care sites joined the effort, including all approximately 1,100 MinuteClinic locations, the retail medical clinic of CVS Health. This brings the total number of sites to 1,956.

“The rapid growth of the age-friendly care movement means that older adults have a better chance at receiving high-quality, evidence-based care that is tailored to what matters most to them,” said Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, president of JAHF. “As COVID-19 has demonstrated, we must prioritize the care of older adults across all care settings to ensure coordinated, evidence-based, age-friendly care is delivered to those who need it most. We are incredibly grateful to IHI, our other partners, and all AgeFriendly Health Systems participants for their work to make health care age-friendly, especially during this terrible pandemic.”

Health care treatment decisions that help older adults achieve what matters most to them—like daily walks without pain, having the energy for gardening, or talking with grandchildren while feeling clearheaded—result in healthier aging, according to the movement. When health care providers focus on the 4Ms of age-friendly care for older adults—what Matters, Medication, Mentation (memory and mood), and Mobility—they reduce harm, improve health outcomes, and lower health care costs, according to JAHF and IHI.

“There has never been a more critical time to prioritize adoption of evidence-based care of older adults,” said Kedar Mate, MD, president and CEO of IHI. “We are learning and improving care daily through the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement, and that will fortify our health care systems for the future. I am heartened by the increase in Age-Friendly participants and their commitment to better care for older adults.”

State-specific press releases with information about recognized Age-Friendly Health Systems participants are linked below: