How Patient Priorities Care and Age-Friendly Health Systems Align
A Roadmap for Age-Friendly Care
Healthcare should be aligned with the values and priorities of patients. This is particularly true in the care of older adults, a population with diverse needs who vary in their health priorities and for whom evidence about the best treatment options is often lacking. Age-Friendly Health Systems and Patient Priorities Care are at the forefront of making this type of health care possible for all of us as we age.
Interested in sharing Patient Priorities Care with your team? Download our PowerPoint presentation showing the connection between PPC and Age-Friendly Care.
What are the 4Ms of Age-Friendly Health Systems?
Age-Friendly Health Systems focus care on a set of four core elements, known as the 4Ms Framework:
- What Matters
- Medication
- Mentation
- Mobility
The 4Ms Framework represents the core areas that have the biggest impact on health outcomes for older adults and ensures that health systems provide holistic and harm-free care aligned with the needs and goals of older adults and their family caregivers. In partnership with The John A. Hartford Foundation, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) developed the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement with a goal to reliably implement evidence-based practices specifically designed to improve care for older adults in all health systems and health care settings.
How are Patient Priorities Care and Age-Friendly Health Systems aligned?
The 4Ms are the key elements in providing older adults with high-quality, evidence-based health care that is aligned with individuals’ needs, preferences, and goals. Patient Priorities Care provides the roadmap for this alignment.
Patient Priorities Care begins by identifying each person’s health outcome goals and care preferences (i.e., what matters most to them). The health priorities identified then anchor the 4Ms of age-friendly care by 1) focusing decision-making around what Matters; 2) guiding Medication management to maximize Mobility and Mentation to achieve individuals’ health and life goals while being consistent with care preferences; and 3) determining the Mentation (mood and cognition) and Mobility (physical function) required to achieve individuals’ realistic health goals, thus guiding their assessment and management.
As health systems continue to adopt and refine these age-friendly approaches, the potential for change in the care of older adults is immense, signaling a move towards patient- and family-centered health care that addresses what matters most.
