Delta Health System Participates in Mississippi Rural Age-Friendly Health System Initiative

Delta Health System is now part of a movement to improve healthcare for older adults, contributing to a goal continuing to expand and grow age-friendly care. Through the Mississippi Rural Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative, the Mississippi Hospital Association, the Mississippi State Department of Health, and the Alzheimer's Association, in partnership with the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Health Improvement, are helping Mississippi hospitals and other care settings implement a set of evidence-based interventions specifically designed to improve care for older adults.

"Older adults are living and working longer, redefining later life, and enriching our Mississippi communities," said T. Richard Roberson, President/CEO of the Mississippi Hospital Association. "The future of healthcare requires bold approaches that value older adults, address their unique needs, and provide them with the best care possible. MHA is proud to help our members achieve this national recognition."

Delta Health now joins an international group of more than 2,700 health systems working to tailor care to patients' goals and preferences and to deliver care that is consistently of the highest quality. 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 medications 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 IHI, in partnership with the American Hospital Association and Catholic Health Association of the US. For more information, visit www.ihi.org/agefriendly.