New Grants Totaling Over $5.5 Million Approved by JAHF Board of Trustees
The John A. Hartford Foundation Board of Trustees approved new grants totaling $5,536,710 to advance age-friendly health care for older adults.
Age-Friendly Health Systems Initiative, Phase III: Spread and Scale ($2,836,710 for 3 years)
The American Hospital Association, Health Research & Educational Trust
The American Hospital Association (AHA), through its affiliate the Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET), will continue its support of the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement by developing leaders, engaging more health care teams in adoption of the 4Ms Framework—what Matters, Medication, Mentation, Mobility—and strengthening ties with the broader patient safety movement. The grant will support three cohorts of Next Generation Leaders Fellows who specifically focus on age-friendly care and connect them with health system executives and board leaders for mentorship and support in their quality improvement projects. AHA, in partnership with HRET and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), will facilitate three Action Communities, which are seven-month collaborative learning experiences for health care teams to implement age-friendly care. Outcomes will include over 200 additional sites of care recognized by IHI as Age-Friendly Health Systems participants, development and dissemination of content that demonstrates how the 4Ms advance patient safety priorities, greater engagement from hospital and health system leaders in the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement, and 36 Age-Friendly Fellows in the AHA Next Generation Leaders Fellowship.
Expanding Age-Friendly Approaches to Specialty Ambulatory Care ($1,500,000 for 27 months)
Council of Medical Specialty Societies
The Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) will partner with specialty societies to increase adoption of age-friendly care in ambulatory specialty practices—outpatient settings where many older adults receive care from specialists such as ophthalmologists and cardiologists. This program will build on existing Age-Friendly Health Systems resources to advance adoption and reliable practice of the 4Ms Framework—what Matters, Medication, Mentation, Mobility—in at least five specialties. CMSS will spread resources and 4Ms adoption across its society members as well as with the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement through collaboration with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). Outcomes will include 4Ms implementation guidance for at least five specialties; 35-50 specialty practices recognized by IHI as Age-Friendly Health Systems participants; and 4Ms specialty-specific guidance integrated into CMSS and Age-Friendly Health Systems training, education, and other implementation and dissemination mechanisms.
Publishing and Disseminating Lessons on Innovations to Support Age-Friendly Health ($1,200,000 for 3 years)
Project HOPE - The People-to-People Health Foundation / Health Affairs
This grant continues support of Health Affairs, the nation’s leading health policy journal, to advance best practices in the care of older adults and elevate aging and health policy issues in the national dialogue. Over the three-year project, Health Affairs will continue the Age-Friendly Health series of peer-reviewed papers in the journal, open-access Forefront articles, and events that inform and influence health care policy and practice. New activities include producing a dedicated Age-Friendly Health newsletter and podcast series; gathering and spotlighting content from community organizations, caregivers and individuals with lived experience to inform policy; and responding to emerging developments in aging policy with the recently launched Health Policy at a Crossroads Forefront series.
