Advancing Age-Friendly Care Across Hawaii
Age-Friendly Health Systems initiatives support healthcare organizations across Hawaii in strengthening care for older adults through evidence-based, person-centered approaches grounded in the 4Ms framework: What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility. Through collaboration, education, and systems-level initiatives, these efforts help advance age-friendly practices across clinical, community, and long-term care settings.
What is an Age-Friendly Health System?
The Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative, led by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in partnership with The John A. Hartford Foundation and national healthcare organizations, helps healthcare systems improve care for older adults through the 4Ms framework: What Matters, Medication, Mentation, and Mobility. The framework encourages healthcare teams to focus on what matters most to older adults while supporting safe, coordinated, and person-centered care across healthcare settings. Age-friendly care is designed to support the health, independence, and quality of life of older adults by integrating the 4Ms into everyday clinical practice, communication, and care planning. These approaches help strengthen care coordination, improve patient and caregiver experience, and better address the complex needs of aging populations.
Click here learn More About the IHI Age-Friendly Health Systems Initiative
PI-GWEP supports healthcare organizations across Hawaii in implementing the 4Ms framework and advancing Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Age-Friendly Health Systems recognition across a range of clinical and community-based settings. In collaboration with the Hawaiʻi Primary Care Association (HPCA), PI-GWEP supports Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in integrating age-friendly care practices and working toward AFHS recognition. Additional collaborations with hospitals, nursing homes, and long-term care providers across Hawaiʻi support broader implementation of age-friendly care through workflow integration, interdisciplinary collaboration, quality improvement strategies, and systems-level practice transformation. These efforts strengthen person-centered care for older adults while expanding age-friendly healthcare practices across diverse care settings.
Click here to explore AFHS Sites Across Hawaii
Implementation & Practice Transformation
Healthcare organizations across Hawaiʻi are supported in implementing age-friendly care practices within clinical and long-term care settings through ongoing guidance, collaboration, and implementation support. Efforts focus on integrating the 4Ms framework into everyday care processes, interdisciplinary communication, and patient-centered practice. Support may include review of evidence-based assessment tools, electronic medical record (EMR) templates, medication-related practices, and care strategies that strengthen coordination and support for older adults. Organizations pursuing Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Age-Friendly Health Systems recognition may also receive consultation and feedback throughout the implementation and recognition process.