‘Age-Friendly Health Systems’ Initiative
Auburn, Nebr. (May 21, 2020) – Nemaha County Hospital announced today that it is part of a movement to improve health care for older adults, contributing to a goal of 20 percent of U.S. hospitals and health systems becoming age-friendly by 2020.
As part of the Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative, The John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) are helping hospitals and other care settings implement a set of evidence-based interventions specifically designed to improve care for older adults.
Nemaha County Hospital now joins more than 100 health systems working to make care for older adults even more tailored to patients’ goals and preferences and consistently of high-quality.
“The Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative is an important part of our overarching vision to provide older adults with the best care possible.” said Marty Fattig, Chief Executive Officer at Nemaha County Hospital. “We have always been on the forefront of patient care, and that’s why we want to participate in this vital effort. We look forward to both sharing our best practices and learning what’s working for others.”
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 medication 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.
The Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative was launched in 2017 by The John A. Hartford Foundation and Institute for Healthcare Improvement, in partnership with the American Hospital Association and Catholic Health Association of the US, with a commitment to make 20 percent of hospitals and health systems in the United States age-friendly by 2020. For more information, visit www.ihi.org/agefriendly.
About Nemaha County Hospital
Located in Auburn, Nebr., Nemaha County Hospital is a county-owned critical access hospital serving the Southeast Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri regional area. Nemaha County Hospital was named a 2020 Top 100 Critical Access Hospital.
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