Database of good practices on ageing

Ultimate beneficiaries will be people in Kazakhstan of all ages who will benefit from a more sustainable pension system. 

The reform was initated on the presidential decree in 2014. However, the active intergation and implementation of the reform outcomes are carried out by Presidential Administration and Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 

The reform was initiated by the President of Republic of Kazazakhstan and Presidential Administration. 

This reform is a good practice because it strengthens income security in old age while creating incentives for older persons to remain active in the workforce and engaged in the formal economy. The approach is replicable and sustainable, as it is based on a multi-pillar pension system with diversified sources of retirement income and shared responsibility among the state, employers, and employees.

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.

People aged 50 years or over interested in staying active through a multitude of sports beyond sports traditionally dedicated to older persons. 

Shie Boon, the founder of Movement Singapore, started the initiative with the aim to prevent falls among older persons. There are weekly outdoor parkour classes across four locations in Singapore. 

Thinking "outside the box", providing a sport to older persons which is usually associated with youth culture. 

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Singapore is helping its older citizens age well by teaching them parkour - Monocle

Singapore citizens aged 60 years and above.

The programme has expanded older persons' access to affordable public transport, community programmes and recreational activities through a single integrated membership card. By combining transport concessions with community participation opportunities and lifestyle benefits, it has supported greater social participation and mobility among older persons while encouraging active ageing.

The programme was developed by the People's Association to encourage active ageing and strengthen community participation among older persons. It integrates transport concessions, community programmes and lifestyle benefits into a single membership platform through collaboration with government agencies and participating merchants. Eligible seniors can apply for the card through the Passion Card system, enabling convenient access to subsidized active living.

The Passion Silver Concession Card demonstrates how an integrated membership platform can promote active ageing by combining mobility support, community participation and everyday benefits. Its cross-sector partnership model strengthens social inclusion, encourages lifelong participation in community life and provides a practical, scalable approach that can be adapted by other ageing 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

• Parents taking childcare leave.
• Working mothers and fathers with young children.
• Employees whose earnings decline because of child-rearing responsibilities.

The measures ensure that parents, particularly women, do not experience reduced pension rights solely because they take childcare leave or temporarily reduce working hours to care for young children. During childcare leave, pension coverage is maintained despite contribution exemptions, and future benefits are not reduced for the exempted period. In addition, eligible workers may have future pension benefits calculated using pre-childcare earnings even when childcare responsibilities temporarily lower their wages. These mechanisms help mitigate one source of gender disparities in pension outcomes.

The measures were developed as part of broader efforts to support families, promote gender equality and address declining fertility. Under the public pension system, parents taking childcare leave are exempt from pension contributions, but those periods are treated as contribution-paid periods for benefit calculations. To address income reductions associated with childcare, Japan also introduced a special pension calculation rule that allows pension benefits to be calculated on the basis of pre-childcare earnings when remuneration declines while raising a child under three years of age. Employers submit applications through the Japan Pension Service.

The practice helps address a common source of pension inequality by protecting pension entitlements during periods devoted to raising children. Rather than requiring parents to choose between caregiving and future retirement security, the system recognizes childcare as a socially valuable activity and reduces the pension penalties associated with work interruptions or reduced earnings. The approach supports labour force participation, gender equality and income security in later life. By integrating childcare-related protections into the mainstream pension system, Japan provides long-term support through an established and sustainable mechanism.

Employees' Pension Insurance Act (English translation). Japanese Law Translation Database System

Japan Pension Service guidance on childcare leave contribution exemptions (referenced through pension administration guidance).

Japan Pension Service (JPS)

Older persons, particularly seniors living alone or those at risk of social isolation and medical emergencies.

The PAB strengthened emergency response capacity for older persons living independently by providing continuous telecare support and immediate access to assistance. Beginning in 2025, the programme expanded to approximately 170 additional public rental blocks, extending coverage to around 27,000 more seniors and increasing access to home-based emergency support.

The Personal Alert Button was developed by GovTech in partnership with healthcare and community care agencies to improve emergency support for older persons living alone. The service integrates a wireless alert device with a 24-hour monitoring network connecting Senior Activity Centres and CareLine. When activated, the device sends an alert, enables two-way communication and allows responders to assess the situation before providing assistance or dispatching emergency support. The programme has been progressively expanded through collaboration among government agencies and community partners to reach more seniors living in public rental housing.

The PAB demonstrates how digital technology can strengthen community-based support for older persons while enabling ageing in place. Its integration of smart technology, telecare services and community response mechanisms provides a practical, scalable and replicable model for improving safety and independent living among older adults.

Originally older persons, and now all Australian residents who hold a current Medicare card.

Before 1948, Australians generally paid for medicines out‑of‑pocket, with limited access through public hospitals or Friendly Society dispensaries. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) began as a limited program in 1948, offering free medicines to pensioners and a list of 139 “life‑saving and disease‑preventing” medicines free to the general public. Though PBS began as a limited scheme, by 1960 it had grown into a comprehensive program covering a wide range of prescription medicines. Over time, the PBS expanded to include more than 900 subsidised medicines by 2026 as part of the Australian Government’s broader National Medicines Policy. 

The scheme expanded coverage for all Australian citizens.

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme: a quick guide – Parliament of Australia