Bassett Healthcare Network Recognized as a Leading Age-Friendly Health System

Cooperstown, NY – Bassett Healthcare Network announced today that all five of its hospitals have been recognized as part of an Age-Friendly Health System Committed to Care Excellence.

Age-Friendly Health Systems is an initiative of the John A. Hartford Foundation and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement in partnership with the American Hospital Association and the Catholic Health Association of the United States. Hospitals and health systems designated as age-friendly follow rigorous standards and evidence-based interventions specifically designed to improve care for older adults.

“Caring for the older adults in our region is a privilege, and we are proud to be a leader in providing age-friendly healthcare across our entire network,” said Dr. Tommy Ibrahim, President and CEO of Bassett Healthcare Network. “As of 2021, one in six New York State residents were aged 65 or older. This demographic is expected to continue growing over the next few years and decades. Providing not only reliable – but exceptional – healthcare to this patient population is imperative to rural health.”

“I am extremely impressed with my Bassett colleagues who have shown such dedication and rapid progress in their age-friendly health system journey,” said Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, President of The John A. Hartford Foundation. “The demographics of rural America underscore the critical nature of this work and I am especially proud, as a Bassett Medical Center trustee, to celebrate this milestone!”

All older adults deserve safe, high-quality healthcare that is based on what matters most to them as individuals and delivered reliably in every setting. Bassett Healthcare Network is leading the way in making sure that every day, every older adult receives age-friendly healthcare. As part of the Age-Friendly Health Systems movement, Bassett is among the first health systems in the country implementing age-friendly healthcare.

The following Bassett Healthcare Network sites have been designated as Age-Friendly Health Systems committed to care excellence.

• Bassett Medical Center in Cooperstown, NY

• A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital in Oneonta, NY

• Little Falls Hospital in Little Falls, NY

• Cobleskill Regional Hospital in Cobleskill, NY

• O’Connor Hospital in Delhi, NY

Age-Friendly Health Systems aim to follow an essential set of evidence-based practices, cause no harm, and align with what matters to older adults and their caregivers. The four essential elements of an Age-Friendly Health System are known as the 4Ms:

• 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 to maintain function and do what matters.

Learn more about Age-Friendly Health Systems here.