Age-Friendly Spotlight: Sparrow Ionia Hospital

Learn how healthcare systems are innovating to address the unique needs of older adults through the MHA Keystone Center’s Age-Friendly Health Systems Action Community.

Located in Ionia, Michigan, Sparrow Ionia Hospital is a 22-bed critical access hospital whose patients ages 65 and older represent half of all admitted patients. The hospital has remained committed to quality and safety and has worked tirelessly to improve care practices for older adult patients since joining the MHA Keystone Center Age-Friendly Health Systems Action Community in 2019.

The hospital is nationally recognized as an Age-Friendly Health System Committed to Care Excellence by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) for working to create an age-friendly environment for patients. Steven Dexter, medical-surgical unit and special care manager, Sparrow Ionia Hospital, shares insight into the hospital’s age-friendly journey below.

What is an Age-Friendly Health System?

Becoming an Age-Friendly Health System entails reliably providing a set of four evidence-based elements of high-quality care, known as the “4Ms,” to all older adults: What Matters, Medication, Mentation and Mobility.

Recognition

The IHI recognizes clinical care settings that are working toward reliable implementation of the 4Ms. As of May 2021, nearly 2,100 healthcare organizations have earned either level 1 (Participant) or level 2 (Committed to Care Excellence) recognition in the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement.

  • Level 1 (Participant) teams have successfully developed plans to implement the 4Ms.​
  • Level 2 (Committed to Care Excellence) teams have three months of verified data to demonstrate early impact of using the 4Ms.

Steven Dexter, medical-surgical unit and special care manager, Sparrow Ionia Hospital, shares insight into the hospital’s age-friendly journey in the following sections below.

Photographed left to right: Lisa Harris, Interim CNO; Sally Fox, House Supervisor Mary Whitelock, clinical nurse educator; Steven Dexter, medical-surgical and special care unit manager; and Mary Ziegler, house supervisor.

Why did you join the Age-Friendly Health Systems Action Community?

The need for special focus on older patients is obvious. Currently, more than half of all patients at Sparrow Ionia are age 65 and older, and that is expected to soar throughout the nation because of the baby-boom generation. Sparrow Ionia recognized the need to change the traditional model of care delivery to improve the care delivered to the growing population of older patients. With the MHA Keystone Center’s support, we can focus on what matters to older adult patients rather than only what’s the matter with them.

How has joining this national movement improved and impacted the way you care for older adults?

The impact of our work has resulted in awareness to caregivers that can help institute the 4M framework and intentionally individualize care to that type of patient. Hence, patients find value in the care received. Awareness is what makes the biggest impact, so we spread daily awareness by reporting the percentage of age-friendly patients who are on our inpatient unit.

As part of the Age-Friendly 4M framework of “what matters,” the caregivers at Sparrow Ionia Hospital ask our older patients certain questions. An example of a “what matters” question we use is, “What is one thing everyone should know that matters to you while you are here?” One patient told me that he had been in the war and was scared and alone at that time and now, even though he is older and wiser, he sometimes feels that same way. I reassured him that all the caregivers were there for him and thanked him for his ultimate service.

The medical-surgical caregivers brainstormed a way to recognize the heroes who served our county and thank them for their service while they are in the hospital. As a result, small American flags are now put outside the door of those patients’ rooms, so all caregivers can recognize and thank our patients who are veterans.

Another conscious thing we do to promote age-friendly care is we use small, yellow “4M” door signs to reveal an age-friendly patient so that every caregiver can know that a patient has something that matters to them. In addition to the signs, we elevate the “what matters” answer by discussing them in the daily multidisciplinary rounds so that care can be patient-centered. The answer is charted in the EMR “sticky note” summary front page of the chart.

In addition to these impactful stories, we have seen an increase in patient satisfaction. Patients verbalize the feeling of being cared for and how happy they are with the care they receive at Sparrow Ionia Hospital.

What is one thing you would like to share with a healthcare organization interested in becoming an Age-Friendly Health System?

Age-Friendly is a foundation that most of us use every day with the care we provide. The great thing about this 4M framework is that it can be used for any age group, resulting in intentional, individualized care that patients will see, hear and feel.

Michigan Healthcare Organizations Complete MHA Keystone Center’s Second Age-Friendly Health Systems Action Community to Receive National Recognition

Correction: Corrects prior press release to share all organizations that have achieved either Age-Friendly Health System recognition level.

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) Keystone Center recently concluded its second Age-Friendly Health Systems Action Community with over 60 Michigan healthcare organizations across the care continuum participating with the intention to become nationally recognized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) as Age-Friendly Health Systems.

Age-Friendly Health Systems is an initiative of The John A. Hartford Foundation and the IHI, in partnership with the American Hospital Association and the Catholic Health Association of the United States, to help hospitals and other care settings implement a set of the evidence-based framework known as the “4Ms.”

The MHA Keystone Center concluded its second Age-Friendly Health Systems Action Community in October, with funding support from the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. Action Communities provide support for state-based teams to accelerate reliable practice of the 4Ms in an active community of learners and testers. This work demonstrates the MHA Keystone Center’s dedication to working with local and statewide agencies and organizations to advance age-friendly efforts to create an age-friendly ecosystem spanning an older adult’s continuum of life.

“Through continued commitment to patient safety and quality, our members worked tirelessly to provide every older adult with the best care possible, despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said MHA CEO Brian Peters. “The learnings of the Action Community extend beyond bedside care for an older adult. Participants engaged in identifying strategies that address important factors like social determinants of health and ageism that impact the well-being of our older adults.”

The following organizations have been recognized as an Age-Friendly Health System – Committed to Care Excellence, meaning they have three months of verified data to demonstrate the early impact of using the 4Ms:

  • Bronson LakeView Hospital
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Albany Health & Rehabilitation Center
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Bronson Commons
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Brookdale Battle Creek
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Brookdale Portage
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Caretel Inns of Lakeland
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Cass County Medical Care
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Chalet of Niles
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Chesterton Manor
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Douglas Cove
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Edgewood Health and Rehab
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Evergreen Manor
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Fairview Nursing and Rehab
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Grace Healthcare of Three Rivers
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Greenwood Health and Living
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Hallmark Living of Benton Harbor
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Heartland Healthcare Care Center
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Journey Senior Living Valpo
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Maplewood of Marshall
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Masonville Place
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Medilodge of Kalamazoo
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Medilodge of Portage
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Medilodge of Westwood
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group North Woods Village at Kokomo
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Pine Ridge Michigan
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Riveridge Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Signature Healthcare of Bluffton
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group SKLD Care
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group The Oaks at NorthPointe Woods
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group The Willows AL
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Twin Cities Nursing and Rehab
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group West Woods of Bridgman
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group West Woods of Niles
  • Helen Newberry Joy Hospital and Healthcare Center Gibson Family Health Clinic
  • Hurley Medical Center
  • ProMedica Charles and Virginia Hickman Hospital
  • Sparrow Carson City Hospital
  • Sparrow Ionia Hospital
  • Mary Mercy Hospital – TONE Home Health

The following organizations have been recognized as Age-Friendly Health Systems Participants, meaning they have successfully developed plans to implement the 4Ms​:

  • Baraga County Memorial Hospital
  • Baraga County Physician Group
  • Beaumont Dearborn
  • Eaton Rapids Medical Center
  • EHM Senior Solutions Redies Centre
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Country Charm
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Hallmark Living of Holland
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Riverside Village
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group Sprenger Health Care of Mishawaka
  • GuideStar Eldercare Medical Group
  • The Hearth at Juday Creek
  • Hills & Dales General Hospital
  • Ingham County Medical Care Facility
  • Karmanos Cancer Center Dresner Clinic & Infusion Center
  • Karmanos Cancer Center Eisenberg Clinic & Infusion Center
  • McKenzie Professional Group
  • McLaren Caro Region
  • Sparrow Clinton Hospital
  • Sparrow Hospital
  • Sparrow Medical Group St. Johns Outpatient
  • Sparrow Medical Group St. Johns Inpatient
  • Spectrum Health Blodgett ACE Unit
  • Spectrum Health Medical Group Geriatrics
  • Spectrum Health Zeeland Community Hospital

“We’re grateful to have such tremendous partners dedicated to implementing age-friendly care across the state,” said Neel Hajra, CEO of the Michigan Health Endowment Fund. “It’s remarkable to see the progress they’ve made in such a difficult environment thanks to their commitment to this work. Everyone deserves to age with dignity, and when older adults seek care, their needs and aspirations should shape the assistance they receive — the MHA is helping ensure that is the case in Michigan.”

For more information about the Age-Friendly Health Systems Action Community, visit the MHA Keystone Center’s Older Adults webpage.