Nearly 56 million Americans are 65 and older, with projections estimating that the population of older adults will grow to 94.7 million in 2060. (NCO)
As part of the Shawnee Health mission, we are committed to serving all members of our community. Therefore, we recently completed a multi-year process to become a Certified Age-Friendly Health Facility.
Older adults are a growing patient base for Shawnee Health and we recognized that we could be doing more to meet their needs. We looked at every detail of the patient care experience to make sure it was respectful and easily accessed by older adults and developed a booklet to simplify communication between patient and provider. We also provided every member of our clinical staff specialized training.
What certifies a Health Facility as “Age-Friendly”?
AFHS certification is built around a model called “The Four M’s”, which identifies four areas of care that are especially important for people as they age. They are:
- What Matters: Recognize each older adult’s specific health goals and life priorities and make sure that care decisions are in line with what matters most to the person.
- Mobility: Encourage and enable safe physical activity.
- Mentation: Prevent, identify, treat and manage depression, dementia and delirium.
- Medicamento: When medication is necessary, use medication without age-related side effects, so that treatment doesn’t interfere with Mobility, Mentation, or What Matters.
What does this look like in practice at Shawnee Health facilities?
As we move forward with this certification, we adopt these 4 M’s into every aspect of the Shawnee Health system. We will continue to listen and work with our older adults we will look for new ways to ensure they receive accessible and welcoming care. We’ve been here for older adults, and we will keep working hard to be the first choice for older people in our area.
See all of our initiatives in action at your next family medicine o internal medicine appointment! Learn more at www.ihi.org/agefriendly.
To those involved in the process, we give a warm Thank You for all of your hard work: Carol Aronson, Marsha Nelson, Nikki Adams, Bobby Andrews, Jana Cantrell, Micki Corley, Crystal Farris, Aimee Johnston, Heather Knutt, Annette Miner, Lindsey Miner, Erika Peterson, Melissa Reese, Di Riley, Jennifer Schindl, our providers, nursing staff, front desk staff, and the Shawnee Health care coordinators.