Database of good practices on ageing

Primary-level health institutions gain stronger clinical capacity and better-trained staff through expert guidance. Retired senior physicians benefit by staying professionally engaged and contributing their experience to public health. Ultimately, the entire health system is strengthened through improved rural healthcare and sustainable knowledge transfer.

Since its launch in 2021, the policy has yielded measurable improvements in primary healthcare services across underserved regions. Retired medical experts were mobilized to provide outpatient care, mentoring, and training in grassroots health institutions, particularly in rural and remote areas to address staffing shortages in the medical sector. This has helped enhance the clinical capacity, professional development, and service accessibility at the primary level. Local governments and health commissions reported increased quality of care and skill transfer in key medical specialties. The initiative has been recognized for addressing regional shortages of experienced medical personnel and narrowing urban-rural healthcare disparities.

It identified shortages in specific medical specialties at the grassroots level and matched them with experienced, retired senior medical professionals. Local health commissions coordinated with medical institutions to assign experts to targeted regions. Implementation involved outpatient services, clinical mentorship, and on-site training, focusing on capacity-building in under-resourced areas. The programme emphasized voluntary participation, administrative support, and long-term sustainability through institutional cooperation.

This initiative effectively addresses rural healthcare workforce shortages by leveraging the skills of retired senior medical professionals, promoting intergenerational knowledge transfer. It combines resource optimization with social participation, aligning older persons’ expertise with local needs. Its structured coordination across national and local health bodies ensures scalability and sustainability, making it a replicable model for aging societies seeking to strengthen primary healthcare.

The allowance targets vulnerable elderly citizens—men aged 65+ and women aged 62+—from low-income households, especially those who are physically or mentally frail, landless, or socially isolated.

The programme significantly expanded its coverage and benefit level over time, enhancing the income security of older persons in Bangladesh. It contributed to improved well-being and social dignity of beneficiaries, enabling better access to basic needs such as food, healthcare, and personal care.

Established under the Social Safety Net Program by the Department of Social Services, the allowance is distributed through local administrative units using a means-tested, multi-tiered selection process involving community and Upazila committees. Funding is allocated each fiscal year through the national budget with implementation overseen by government authorities.

It demonstrates scalable, inclusive social protection—targeting the most vulnerable seniors with financial support that restores their dignity, improves access to basic needs, and fosters social inclusion across decades.

• https://sarcouncil.com/download-article/JIS-30-2025-1-24.pdf

older adults living in residential aged care and 4-year-old preschool children. Both generations benefited socially, emotionally, and cognitively.

By 2023, The programme supports over 40 new intergenerational centres nationwide, strengthening social inclusion, enhancing older persons’ well-being, and inspiring new jobs and funding models for community care.

Developed as a structured social experiment, the show brought together experts in child development, geriatrics, and physiotherapy. It introduced shared activities, clinically monitored impacts, and later inspired replication through local organisations and pilot programs.

It demonstrated strong, evidence-based intergenerational impact, drove policy change, and inspired replication—bridging entertainment, research, and public engagement.

• https://www.abc.net.au/news/backstory/2023-10-03/old-peoples-home-4-year-olds-impact-and-success/102868168

Older persons over 60 in Thailand

Now over 10 million older citizens are covered. It provides a basic income for older persons. 

It was developed as part of the government’s social welfare policy to provide a basic income for older persons without pensions or formal retirement benefits. It was introduced in the early 1990s as a small-scale welfare initiative for vulnerable seniors only targeting low-income older persons. In 2009 it was scaled up to cover nearly all Thai citizens aged 60 years or over. It is funded entirely by the national government budget. 

It provides basic universal income security for all older persons in Thailand

Expansion of Thailand’s social pension policy and its implications for family support for older persons - Teerawichitchainan - 2021 - International Journal of Social Welfare - Wiley Online Library
Old-age income security in ASEAN Member States

Older workers aged 50+, with an emphasis on diversity across Māori, Pacific, disabled, and regional communities.

Over 1,000 businesses have used the toolkit to redesign their jobs to work for an ageing workforce. This strategy has contributed to New Zealand having very high labour force participation rates for those over 65 years.

Developed through  collaboration between governments, community groups and different businesses. It is now a core aspect of employment strategies to tackle ageism as well as skill shortages, as it keeps experienced workers contributing to the economy.

This strategy treats older persons as economic agents, as they have much to contribute to the workforce. It addresses age discrimination while still applying wage subsidies for employers to hire seniors.

Older persons who need daily assistance with various goods and services but do not (yet) want to move into a long-term care facility.

The One‑Stop Community Elderly Service Program operates on a non‑profit basis. Clients pay only for the specific services they use, while more than half of the total service costs are subsidized by the government or covered through a person’s social insurance. Local small businesses providing  the needed goods and services benefit by increasing sales and reducing marketing costs, and as the age‑friendly network grows, more providers and businesses are applying to join.

By 2024, the program had expanded to nine regions and enrolled more than 3,100 older adults, most of whom are over 80 years old.

Many of the older adults catered for by this program live in apartment complexes without elevators resulting in limited mobility. They often also are not comfortable with or have no access to digital technology to order goods and services online. Developing such a liaison program has ensured that "no one is left behind". While it enables older persons to stay in their own home longer, it also is a trust-building exercise if seniors later need to move to the Longzhen Senior Care institution.

https://ahwin.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Innovation-for-an-aging-Asia_web.pdf 

The policy provides guidance to practitioners in relevant Ministries. The ultimate beneficiaries of this policy are older persons across China, particularly those with disabilities, low-income seniors, and childless elderly who require public care support. Rural seniors benefit from improved access to integrated medical and elderly care services at the county level.

The policy has led to significant improvements in China’s elderly care system, including expanded service coverage, better integration of medical and social support, enhanced digital and legal inclusion for older adults, and the emergence of the silver economy as a national development priority.

The policy was jointly issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council in 2021 after nationwide consultations. It was implemented through a coordinated, multi-level approach involving central ministries and local governments. Key mechanisms included pilot programs (e.g., long-term care insurance), integrated planning (e.g., combining elderly care with health services), and clear timelines and targets for local authorities to follow.

This policy represents a good practice due to its comprehensive and forward-looking design. It adopts a whole-of-government approach, integrating elderly care, healthcare, digital inclusion, legal protection, and economic development. It promotes both top-down planning and local innovation, encourages public-private partnerships, and aligns with international best practices. Its adaptability and strong emphasis on inclusive, people-centered services make it a replicable model for aging societies.

This is designed for those who provide in-home care, especially for the elderly with dementia, and also for those who wish to create a warm place for their grandparents.

The guidelines provide evidence-based, actionable advice for caregivers of the elderly. The positive impact of these guidelines has been acknowledged in Japan and has also received media attention.

Keio University originally launched a researchproject to apply the concept of "pattern language" from architectural theory to daily life with people with dementia.The project was tested in a practical context to verify its effectiveness. These outcomes have been disseminated through the publication of books and card collections under the title Words to Live Together.

The guidelines provide evidence-based, actionable advice for caregivers of the elderly. The positive impact of these guidelines has been acknowledged in Japan and has also received media attention.

Words for Journey: A Pattern language for living with dementia

All adults aged 18 and above who, due to mental or physical infirmity, disability, or incapacity, are unable to protect themselves from abuse, neglect, or self-neglect.

The Act provided mechanisms for state intervention such as investigations, entry into premises, temporary placement, and court protection orders. It strengthened Singapore’s safety net for vulnerable adults, filling protection gaps where families or communities could not intervene, and enhanced safeguarding efficiency.

The Act was developed after public and professional consultations, first read in Parliament in March 2018, passed in May, and implemented in December. Led by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), it defined “vulnerable adults,” set out intervention and court procedures, and emphasized least-restrictive intervention, prioritizing best interests and autonomy.

It balances family-and community-based care with state intervention, while safeguarding autonomy through least-restrictive, best-interest principles.

• https://www.lawsociety.org.sg/our-community/legal-fact-check/understanding-the-vulnerable-adults-act/
• https://www.judiciary.gov.sg/family/protection-for-vulnerable-adults
• https://www.msf.gov.sg/media-room/article/First-Reading-of-the-Vulnerable-Adults-Bill

It is a clear action plan assigning responsibilities to Government entities and civil society. The eventual beneficiaries will be older persons in the Philippines. 

The PPASC 2023–2028 was created through a collaborative, multi‑stakeholder process led by the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC). It was developed in partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and key national government agencies, together with other development partners. The process included planning activities, workshops, briefings, and a national validation summit, which ensured technical input, inter‑agency alignment, and stakeholder validation at national level.

It is a plan with defined expected outcomes and actions.