Aging programs

The demand for healthcare services is increasing and evolving as New York’s population ages. HANYS’ aging programs support healthcare organizations in their efforts to deliver high-quality, equitable and person-centered care for older adults and their caregivers. This work is aligned with the CMS Age-Friendly Hospital Measure and New York State’s Master Plan for Aging.

Ongoing support

HANYS supports Age-Friendly and geriatric-focused care.

Our ongoing efforts include:

• advocacy at the state and federal levels to advance policies that support healthy aging and sustainable long-term models of Age-Friendly care and geriatric emergency services;
• resources to help organizations implement and sustain evidence-based practices;
• connection to national pathways for Age-Friendly Health System recognition or Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation; and
• peer sharing and dissemination of best practices across New York state providers.

New in 2026: My Health Checklist patient education resources

HANYS developed new patient education videos to promote use of the IHI My Health Checklist and support more meaningful, person-centered conversations between older adults, caregivers and care teams. 

The checklist helps patients reflect on what matters most, prepare questions before their visit and participate actively in care conversations.

We encourage you to leverage these free, ready-to-use videos and incorporate them into your broader patient education and engagement strategies.

• My Health Checklist (IHI) - helps patients and care partners develop a plan of care centered on what matters most.
• Patient education
  • Waiting room video (HANYS) – intended to be shown in waiting rooms and other public-facing areas to introduce the My Health Checklist and encourage patient engagement.
  • Social media video (HANYS) – designed to promote awareness of the My Health Checklist on social media.
  • Implementation guidance (HANYS) – provides practical guidance for deploying the checklist and videos across care settings.

Pathways for recognition and accreditation

HANYS is not offering a New York state–specific Age-Friendly Health Systems Action Community or a Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation Collaborative in 2026. Instead, we encourage organizations seeking structured learning, coaching and recognition to participate in national initiatives, including:

• The Age-Friendly Health Systems Action Community led by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, which supports care settings nationwide in implementing the 4Ms framework
• The Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation Collaborative for emergency departments seeking to formalize geriatric-focused care

Questions?

Please contact Laura Palmer, senior director post-acute and continuing care, at lpalmer@hanys.org.