Database of good practices on ageing

People aged 50+

The Ready Senior project has over 16,000 people following the page as of July 2022, and over 4,000 seniors have participated in the online programmes for Want to Learn. Over 200 seniors have received jobs in areas such as data management, consulting, or volunteer work and many have created online pages for their own businesses.

The  Ready Senior project is a response to the fact that Thailand has a very large informal economy, and many seniors are working within this economy. Around half of Thai older people do not have savings to support themselves. This project aimed to empower elderly Thais to learn and work, hopefully lessening the stress on the country's health and long-term care systems. This programme was developed in consultation with Japanese experts.

This project s a good practice as it moves away from seeing seniors as passive recipients of care, rather treating them as productive and self-reliant members of the economy. It treats ageing as a transition to a new life stage rather than a decline, and provides elderly with the tools to support themselves.

Older persons, particularly those at risk of abuse

Since the Act came into force in 2006, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has collected and published nationwide data every year on elder‑abuse reports, characteristics of cases, and municipal responses.
 

Japan’s elder‑abuse prevention law is good practice because it provides clear definitions of all forms of abuse and mandates rapid municipal action to protect victims. It requires immediate reporting when an elderly person’s safety is at risk and protects reporters’ identities. Municipalities must ensure safety checks, temporary protection, investigations, and coordinated multi‑agency responses. The Act also supports caregivers through counseling, advice, and burden‑reduction measures, recognizing caregiver stress as a risk factor. It strengthens oversight of care facilities, mandates staff training, protects whistleblowers, addresses financial exploitation, promotes adult guardianship, and ensures cooperation across government and community organizations.

TRENDS IN NATIONWIDE RESEARCH OUTCOMES ON ELDER ABUSE AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT TO PREVENT ELDER ABUSE IN JAPAN | Innovation in Aging | Oxford Academic

pplicants are the main beneficiaries: local councils, community groups, NGOs. The local elderly population are the ultimate beneficiaries, as they benefit from infrastructure improvements and any events created.

Across 2018 and 2023, there were 65 small-scale grants implemented across New Zealand, many local councils have moved from having no senior strategy to having integrated age-friendly plans.

The project was developed using the WHO Eight Domains of Age-Friendliness as a guideline to align with the WHO global standards, as well as local elderly needs. 

This programme empowers local communities to solve issues with low cost intervention. It builds a partnership between local councils and the community, creating events and projects that are culturally relevant and specifically address the issues that arise for the elderly in each community.

2025-Age-friendly-Fund-Guidance.pdf

Beneficiaries included older adults across Russia, as the contest recognized and promoted community-led initiatives enhancing active ageing—particularly those addressing culture, health, education, employment, volunteering, and social care.

As of 2024, over 3.5 million older Russians and around 190,000 silver volunteers were engaged in active ageing programmes across multiple areas of society.

Organized by ANO “National Priorities” with support from the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the contest solicited submissions via Smarteka, evaluated them by a panel, and awarded funding, recognition, and dissemination support to winning practices for regional replication.

It systematically identifies, validates, and scales community-driven active ageing initiatives, rewarding innovation while embedding older adults as contributors to social development and policy.

• https://xn--80aapamcavoccigmpc9ab4d0fkj.xn--p1ai/news/podvedeny-itogi-vserossiyskogo-otbora-luchshikh-praktik-aktivnoe-dolgoletie-2023/

The primary beneficiaries are older people, especially lonely pensioners living independently who experience difficulties meeting basic needs or accessing services. The fund also supports older persons living in residential institutions for the elderly, including homes for older persons under its care.

The fund supports approximately 250 older people living independently and 420 residents in three residential care institutions. Beneficiaries receive regular food assistance, medicines, and practical support, along with social interaction and participation in organized activities.

The initiative was developed as part of the foundation’s long‑term charitable work and relies on a combination of donations, volunteer engagement, and partnerships with care institutions. Implementation involves identifying beneficiaries in need, organizing logistics for food, medicine, and accompaniment, and coordinating volunteers to ensure timely and consistent support. The programme also integrates storytelling and regular communication to maintain public engagement and transparency.

The integrated approach supports not only physical wellbeing but also dignity and social inclusion in older age. It addresses both material needs and social isolation, combines home-based and institutional support, and highlights the human stories of older persons to sustain empathy and accountability.

Socially isolated and low-income seniors aged 60+, especially those living alone in public rental housing without caregiver support.

The programme supports over 2,500 vulnerable seniors through Care Close to Home (C2H) befriending and assisted-living services, enabling them to age in place with stronger social connection, reduced isolation, and improved functional independence.

The Ministry of Health assumed responsibility for aged care planning from the Ministry of Social and Family Development in 2018. It piloted integrated care models like C2H in rental blocks, deploying care teams, training volunteers, and working with Senior Activity Centres (SACs) to offer home visits, social engagement, and coordinated services.

It bridges medical and social care gaps, empowers ageing in place, and ensures timely, community-based support tailored to seniors’ needs.

• https://www.moh.gov.sg/newsroom/speech-by-mr-gan-kim-yong-minister-for-health-at-the-global-conference-on-integrated-care-2-february-2018

Older persons

A 2025 study found that those who attended the schools have a quality of life scores 10 points above those who do not. Seniors are more active as a result of attending the schools, and this leads to lower hospital visits and healthcare costs. Overall, there are more than 2000 schools nationwide with over 170,000 seniors studying both in person and online.

The government created this programme after finding out that many Thais were suffering from social death, and were therefore lonely and depressed after retirement. This programme uses a self help model, as seniors are helping to run the school. After the success of the pilot, the government created a playbook so all villages in Thailand could start their own school.

This programme combats social isolation, and is a big tool to stopping elderly isolation, a precursor to dementia. As it uses community centers and temples, it is cost effective and cheap to run. Overall happiness and life satisfaction increased in seniors.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354846717_Lifelong_Learning_for_Senior_Citizens_in_Thailand

all citizens of Nepal aged 60 years or over

The Constitution of Nepal, Senior Citizens Act (2006), and various national policies—established obligations for senior citizens’ health and protection, motivating MoHP to draft a dedicated strategy. The MoHP formally decided to develop the Geriatric Health Service Strategy in recognition of the vulnerability and rights of senior citizens, based on evidence of unmet geriatric needs. 

This strategy takes already existing facilities and adapting them to the needs of seniors. It puts limiting the financial strain on elderly as a top priority.

Both older persons and children in the community.

The “Apo Ko” storytelling initiative engages seniors in early childhood sessions, fostering empathy, respect, and intergenerational connection while promoting their empowerment and social participation.

The programme follows a structured process, beginning with consultations with Local Government Units and partners to formalise commitments through Memoranda of Understanding. Volunteers are then mobilised to contribute their time and skills, while both implementers and participants receive training to ensure readiness. Services are delivered to foster interaction between older persons and children, and progress is monitored and evaluated against plans and budgets to maintain accountability.

The programme integrates older and younger generations through structured, participatory activities that foster mutual support and knowledge exchange. It tackles ageing issues while promoting inclusive development, following a clear process from social preparation and training to monitoring and evaluation for sustainability. By engaging older persons in all stages—such as through the “Apo Ko...” storytelling initiative—it empowers seniors, honours their contributions, and strengthens intergenerational bonds.

• https://theaseanmagazine.asean.org/article/empowering-older-filipinos-through-pension-care-and-community-support/?utm_source

All citizens of Georgia, as well as stateless persons with an official status on Georgia and foreign nationals who have legally resided in Georgia for the past 10 years by the time they apply for the pension are entitled to the pension. 

Georgia now provides virtually complete non‑contributory pension coverage, ensuring that almost all older people receive a basic income in old age. It therefore plays an important role for poverty reduction and especially provides access to pensions for women who are less likely to be covered by contributory pensions. However, while coverage is universal, the pension benefit level remains low relative to income needs.

The Law of Georgia on State Pensions, adopted by Parliament in December 2005 and effective from January 2006, was developed to stabilize and modernize Georgia’s post‑independence pension system. It established a universal, non‑contributory pension funded by the state budget and grounded in constitutional principles such as human rights, equality, universality, and intergenerational solidarity. The law formalized administrative procedures for awarding and managing pensions and has been refined through multiple amendments since 2012. It formed the foundation for later pension reforms, including the introduction of complementary accumulative pension schemes from 2018 onward.

The law established a universal pension, funded by the Government; it also includes stateless persons legally residing in Georgia, as well as foreigners who resided for at least 10 years in Georgia.