Host: Andrea Harris, RN, Clinical Nurse Lead for Age-Friendly Care

Guest: Timothy Farrell, MD, AGSF – Presidential Endowed Chair, Division of Geriatrics; Professor of Medicine; Associate Chief for Age-Friendly Care at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine, University of Utah. Dr. Farrell is a nationally recognized leader in geriatrics education and age-friendly health systems.

In this episode, we explore geriatrics as a medical specialty and what it truly means to deliver age-friendly care. Dr. Farrell breaks down why geriatrics is essential across all clinical settings and offers practical guidance health care teams can apply immediately.

We discuss:

What geriatrics is and why it matters.
The Age-Friendly Health System (AFHS) framework.
The 4Ms of Age-Friendly Care—often expanded to a multi‑complex 5th M.
How each M supports safe, effective, person-centered care for older adults.
How clinicians can incorporate these principles into daily practice across outpatient, inpatient, emergency, and transitional care settings.

This episode serves as an accessible and actionable introduction for clinicians and learners seeking to improve care for older adults.

This conversation will be especially valuable to:

Physicians & APPs: Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, Hospital Medicine, Emergency Medicine
Nurses and care managers
Social workers
Interdisciplinary team members involved in older adult care
Health system leaders interested in Age-Friendly Health System design, quality improvement, and implementation

Resources & Links

Geriatrics Specialty Care and Consultation

University of Utah Education & Training Opportunities in Geriatrics

U of U Health Age Friendly Programs

Visit: uofuhealth.org/medpod for podcast access and CME information.