UAMS Thomas and Lyon Longevity Clinic Recognized as Age-Friendly Health System
| LITTLE ROCK — The UAMS Thomas and Lyon Longevity Clinic in the Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging has successfully attained Level I Certification as an Age-Friendly Health System.
An Age-Friendly Health System provides high-quality care that follows the 4Ms framework — What Matters, Medication, Mentation and Mobility.
Such recognition is provided by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and The John A. Hartford Foundation. The Age-Friendly Health System is an initiative that involves consistently providing a set of four evidence-based elements of high-quality care known as the “4Ms” framework to all older adults within the system. The 4Ms framework is described as: What Matters, Medication, Mentation and Mobility.
The Arkansas Geriatric Educational Collaborative (AGEC) partnered with the Longevity Clinic in January 2021 to assist and guide them in attaining this recognition.
Over 46 million Americans are over the age of 65, a number that is expected to double by 2060. This initiative aims to improve care provided to the aging population by focusing on each of the 4Ms while considering “What Matters” most to the older adult at every decision point.
Danette Scherer, MSN, RN, a nurse educator for AGEC, provided Age-Friendly trainings to the entire staff of the Longevity Clinic, which was required to earn the initial, Level I certification. The AGEC will continue working with the Longevity Clinic to further incorporate the 4Ms into the standard of care while applying for the second and final level of IHI Age-Friendly certification.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; a hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and eight institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute, Institute for Digital Health & Innovation and the Institute for Community Health Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. UAMS has 3,275 students, 890 medical residents and fellows, and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 12,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube or Instagram.###