Authors

  1. Szulecki, Diane

Article Content

On this month's cover, a nurse goes over discharge instructions with an older adult and her family caregiver. We chose to feature this photo in recognition of both National Family Caregivers Month and the start of a new AJN series, Supporting Family Caregivers in the 4Ms of an Age-Friendly Health System. Published in collaboration with the AARP Public Policy Institute as part of the ongoing Supporting Family Caregivers: No Longer Home Alone series, these articles and accompanying videos will explore a framework for optimizing the health care of older adults by assessing and acting on four key elements known as the 4Ms: What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility. Read the first article in the series, "The 4Ms of an Age-Friendly Health System" for an introduction to the framework and how it can be implemented in the hospital setting with the involvement of family caregivers. Subsequent articles will examine each of the 4Ms in depth.

  
Figure. On this mont... - Click to enlarge in new windowFigure. On this month's cover, a nurse goes over discharge instructions with an older adult and her family caregiver.

Also in this issue is a guest editorial by Heather M. Young, Susan C. Reinhard, and Terry Fulmer that discusses how both COVID-19 and systemic racism have affected older adults and family caregivers, who face "cumulative challenges around health, food and housing security, employment, and schooling in addition to providing care"-and how nurses, as trusted professionals, can help address the consequences of these challenges.-Diane Szulecki, editor