HSE South West welcomes Age-Friendly Health System recognition for St Finbarr’s Rehabilitation Unit

St Finbarr's Rehabilitation Unit (SFRU) in Cork has been recognised as an Age-Friendly Health System in recognition of the team’s commitment to providing the best possible care for older people. The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) designated the unit as Committed to Care Excellence in recognition of its delivery of high-quality, person-centred care.

The 70-bed inpatient rehabilitation unit at St Finbarr's Hospital Campus, achieved the international recognition after successfully embedding the Age-Friendly Health Systems 4Ms framework throughout the service, led by Senior Occupational Therapist Maureen Johnson and Senior Physiotherapist Máire Fitzgerald.

The unit received support from the Age Friendly Health Systems South West programme, which is leading efforts to integrate age-friendly care across services and support HSE South West's ambition to become Ireland's first Age-Friendly Health Region.

Máire Fitzgerald, Senior Physiotherapist, St Finbarr’s Rehabilitation Unit, said:

"We are delighted to receive this recognition as an Age-Friendly Health System. It reflects our team's dedication and our shared commitment to providing the best possible care for older people. The 4Ms framework helps us ensure that the care we provide is person-centred, evidence-based and aligned with what matters most to each individual."

The 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 Mind.
• Mind: 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.

Research shows that applying this framework improves outcomes and experiences for older people while also supporting staff and care teams.

Staff across the unit incorporated the 4Ms into everyday practice through education programmes, updated documentation, service improvements and ongoing audit activity. Data gathered over several months showed that the framework had become fully integrated into patient care.

Professor Emer Ahern, Consultant Physician in Geriatric Medicine and National Clinical Advisor for Older Persons, said:

"The recognition of St Finbarr's Rehabilitation Unit as an Age-Friendly Health System is a significant achievement and a testament to the dedication of the entire team. By focusing on what matters to older people, supporting mobility, reviewing medications and promoting cognitive wellbeing, they are improving both the quality of care and the experience of care for older adults."

This recognition comes in the same year that SFRU celebrated its 50th anniversary, marking five decades of caring for older people across Cork and beyond.