Total: 405 good practice(s). Download
As societies age, the number of persons with dementia increases and so does the challenge of wandering. More than 17000 persons are going missing this way in Japan each year. Orange Links' solution has been to develop jell stickers with QR codes that are attached to a person's fingernail. The QR code can be easily read using most mobile phones and contains the person's name and contact information of family or other caregivers. This way, when a person seems lost or in distress, the QR code can be scanned by police or passersby and caregivers can be alerted. This good practice has been implemented in several prefectures of Japan, including Aomori.
Persons with dementia and their caregivers and communities.
As of 2022 over 300 persons with dementia are wearing such QR code stickers and several "wanderers" have been successfully reunited with their caregivers. It has provided persons with dementia and their caregivers with increased confidence to be able to safely "age in place".
The "NailQ" initiative was developed in consultation with hospitals, communities, caregivers and persons with dementia to ensure easy application and effectiveness. Since the QR code sticker is attached to the thumbnail, there is no worry of forgetting or losing it. Also, everyone with a smart phone can easily make use of QR code technology and the stickers are comparatively cheap.
As of 2022 over 300 persons with dementia are wearing such QR code stickers and several wanderers have been successfully reunited with their caregivers.
The nail jell sticker is a simple low-cost solution. Unlike more expensive wearable GPS devices, it cannot be forgotten or break, and no batteries are needed. It is also more discrete and protects the safety of the wearer as no personal information is shared - just confirmation of identity and contacts of caregivers.
Japan tracks dementia patients with QR codes attached to fingernails - BBC News
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Where a Thousand Digital Eyes Keep Watch Over the Elderly - The New York Times
A large‑scale initiative engaged residents of all ages in outdoor cultural, educational, recreational, and intergenerational activities. It included concerts, lectures, creative workshops, dance classes, sports events, children’s animation, film screenings, and community gatherings at multiple permanent and temporary outdoor locations. Older persons were explicitly included as a target group, with activities adapted to their needs, while families and mixed‑age groups participated together.
Older adults seeking active, interest-based leisure; families benefitting from intergenerational activities, and local artists and artisans gaining platforms for expression and audience engagement.
The practice nurtured meaningful intergenerational interaction through shared, accessible outdoor events. Up to 50 weekly events across multiple locations had more than 406000 visitors in one summer season. The practice strengthened project capacity among local creative groups, increased cultural participation, supported tourism, and enriched community life with accessible and diverse outdoor activities.
The practice was developed by creating the necessary infrastructure for outdoor events, mobilizing local artists, creative collectives, and masters, and curating a diverse program accessible to all generations. The design emphasized family traditions, cultural heritage, and intergenerational participation, ensuring events were inclusive for older adults, children, youth, and families. Coordination included logistics, safety measures, and weekly programming across city locations.
The practice is effective because it unites residents of all ages, strengthens intergenerational bonds, and promotes active ageing by involving older persons in culturally rich, community‑based leisure. Its scalable model—multiple outdoor venues, weekly programming, and diverse activity formats—ensures inclusivity and broad participation. Strong results, high attendance, cultural revitalization, and improved community cohesion make it a replicable and impactful model for other regions.
Putuo District established the "One-Click Access" Smart Elderly Assistance Service to provide older persons with integrated, community-based support through multiple digital terminals, including fixed telephones, televisions and portable devices. The service enables users to access emergency assistance, medical appointment booking, transportation, daily care, information services and other community support through a single contact point. A portable device ("Pocket Assistant") with functions such as SOS emergency calls, real-time location, reminders and electronic geofencing was also introduced to enhance safety and independent living for older persons.
Older persons in Putuo District, particularly older persons living alone, older households, and older persons requiring community-based support.
By the end of 2024, the service had supported more than 15,200 older households in Putuo District. In 2024 alone, it delivered approximately 265,600 proactive care contacts, 196 emergency rescue responses, 553 transportation assistance services, 74 medical appointment bookings, 4,411 consultation services, and 2,799 daily care services, demonstrating its extensive use in supporting older persons' daily lives.
The service was developed to address the growing demand for accessible digital support amid population ageing. Putuo District integrated emergency response, healthcare access, transportation, consultation and community care into a single service platform connected through a 24-hour call centre. Multiple access channels—including fixed telephones, televisions and portable devices—were introduced to accommodate different levels of digital literacy. The district also strengthened information security, system maintenance and proactive care through regular follow-up calls, health reminders and emergency support.
The initiative demonstrates how digital technology can be integrated with community-based care to improve service accessibility and safety for older persons. Its multi-channel access model, continuous service provision and coordinated implementation by local government make it a practical and replicable approach for supporting ageing in place and reducing the digital divide.
The project implemented a structured volunteering initiative aimed at engaging older people (“silver volunteers”) in socially useful activities across social, cultural, educational, and environmental fields. The project promotes active involvement of older people in addressing community needs, including support for vulnerable groups, participation in social service institutions, and engagement in cultural and civic initiatives. It also emphasizes strengthening organizational mechanisms within social service institutions to coordinate and sustain volunteering by older adults. It is part of a wider movement of silver volunteering in the Russian Federation.
The primary beneficiaries are older citizens, particularly active pensioners who are willing to engage in volunteer activities and seek opportunities for self‑realization, social inclusion, and meaningful engagement after retirement. Secondary beneficiaries include social service institutions and vulnerable population groups who receive additional support through volunteer activities, as well as local communities that benefit from expanded social, cultural, and environmental initiatives implemented by silver volunteers.
The project helped reveal the social, professional, and life experience potential of older volunteers and supported their sustained engagement in volunteer activities. It also strengthened the role of social service institutions in organizing geronto-volunteering as a systematic and ongoing practice rather than a one‑off activity.
The project was developed in the context of growing national attention to volunteering following the Year of the Volunteer in Russia (2018). It builds on state support for volunteering and uses the existing infrastructure of social service institutions to organize, coordinate, and support older volunteers. The project is designed as an open‑ended initiative with continuous development rather than a fixed‑term intervention.
The project expanded volunteering beyond youth by systematically including older people and recognizing them as a valuable and qualified social resource. It used existing social service infrastructure for sustainability and offered diverse forms of engagement, allowing flexibility and long‑term participation. These features enabled the project to sustain volunteer motivation, support active ageing, and address social needs effectively.
The NGO "Young at Heart" aims to improve the quality of life and socialization of older adults by addressing loneliness and providing them with basic assistance. The NGO implements a portfolio of initiatives including ongoing outreach on ageing issues, narrative documentation of older adults’ experiences, and managing volunteer activities to assist beneficiaries and organize meetings and events.
older persons, persons with disabilities, care givers, volunteers
Thousands of older persons and persons with disabilities in the Voronezh region of the Russian Federation (especially in rural areas) have benefitted from one or more of the programs and projects or from individual support provided by the NGO and its volunteer network.
"Young at Heart" started as an informal group of volunteers in 2017 and registered as an NGO in Voronezh region in 2020. It has been implementing a number of initiatives reaching thousands of older persons and persons with disabilities. These include the program "Comfort" (improving the physical living environments for older people in institutions and at home), and the projects "Gifts" (public collections of gifts for older persons living in institutions and at home for traditional celebrations such as New Year etc.), "Word of Mouth: Heroic History of the Region" (preserving and transmitting historical memory through cultural and educational events), and "Live, Create, Rejoice!" (organizing excursions, fairs, round tables, library lectures, "Clean-up Month", creative workshops and daily online exercise sessions).
The NGO supports a comprehensive approach to improving the life quality of older persons by improving the physical environment, addressing emotional issues such as loneliness and dignity, and providing important information and skills.
The Maldives Pension Office hosts an annual event, the 3 Generation Walk, bringing together grandparents, parents, and children in a celebration of intergenerational connection. The 2025 edition highlighted the role of older persons in development, emphasizing financial literacy, well-being, and retirement planning, focusing on the importance of saving and preparing for the future.
Children, Adults and Elderly residing in Male' City
The initiative enhanced awareness on saving for retirement while promoting life-cycle linkages across generations, fostering stronger cohesion by bringing together older persons, youth, and children under a unified platform.
Developed in collaboration with Ministry of Social and Family Development.
Bringing together the older persons, youth, and children on a shared platform fosters dialogue, strengthens bonds, and bridges generations. Open to all age groups, the event promotes inclusivity and helps build a more connected community.
This is a strategic framework promoting a life-course approach to ageing (as opposed to welfare only) focused on active longevity and integrated community care. This framework shifts from focusing on increasing birthrate to focusing on welfare, health, and other factors (gender equality, family dynamics, caregiving) associated with low birthrate and ageing. The goals of the plan are to promote work-life/family balance, expand access to affordable care, encourage senior citizens to participate in society, and ensure them economic security. Programs include the creation of the Senior Jobs and Social Activities Support Program, the Parental Benefit System and the Integrated Community Care Support Act allowing seniors to age in place within the community rather than at a care home.
For employment & social participation: the new senior generation (ages 60-75). For healthcare and home-based nursing: elderly aged 75 and up.
Over 1 million jobs were created through the Senior Jobs and Social Activities Support Program, The community care programs had a 92.8% user satisfaction, and there was a significant reduction in hospital stays for minor events. Elderly were less financially dependent on their children (down from 28.8% to 12%).
As a response to failure of previous top down policies, this framework was developed through research and dialogue with youth, women and senior advocacy groups. By focusing on individual quality of life rather than state-centered demographic targets, the plan decentralizes responsibility. Municipalities are required to submit annual action plans for seniors tailored to their regional needs.
This framework treats senior citizens as an asset rather than a burden, and aims to create a society where all generations can thrive.
The 60+ Clubs in Georgia are community‑based spaces designed to promote active, healthy, and socially connected ageing among older persons, typically aged 60 and above. Operating in municipalities and community centers , the clubs offer a mix of social, educational, and well‑being activities, such as group exercise, arts and crafts, lifelong learning, digital literacy, cultural events, and intergenerational activities. They also serve as platforms for peer support, volunteering, and civic engagement, helping reduce social isolation and strengthen older people’s participation in community life. Often implemented in partnership with local authorities, civil society organizations, and international partners, the clubs are low‑cost, inclusive initiatives that contribute to improved mental well‑being, independence, and dignity in later life.
Older persons in Georgia, particularly those suffering from loneliness
The 60+ Clubs in Georgia have demonstrated strong results in reducing social isolation, improving mental well‑being, and increasing the active participation of older people in community life. Participants report greater social connectedness, increased confidence, and improved emotional health as a result of regular interaction, peer support, and meaningful activities. The clubs have also strengthened older persons’ skills and independence through lifelong learning, digital literacy, and health‑promotion activities, enabling many members to better access services and remain engaged in society. At the community level, the clubs have helped foster intergenerational solidarity and volunteerism, enhance civic engagement, and raise awareness of ageing issues, while providing a low‑cost, scalable model that local authorities and partners can integrate into broader active ageing and social inclusion strategies.
It was developed in collaboration of UNFPA after a study highlighting that many older persons in Georgia suffered from loneliness.
It reduces loneliness and promotes social participation of older persons. It provides a low-cost model and is funded by the Government.
Promoting Active and Healthy Ageing at the local level in Georgia
The A-MED CARE is a medical platform developed to support the 30 baht universal coverage project. It enables Thai citizens with the gold card to access healthcare services widely. There are 5 main platforms: 1) MED Care Pharma providing free medications for 32 illnesses. 2) MED Care for Nurse Clinics, a group of community nurses offering treatment for 10 common diseases. 3) MED Care for Medicine, community medical clinics providing free treatments for common diseases. 4) MED Care for Thai Traditional Medicinal Clinics, a traditional clinics offering treatment through Thai practices. 5) MED Care Home Wards, a service that provides home care for patients covering physical and mental illnesses and substance abuse issues.
Older Thai citizens with Gold Card entitlement of the Health Insurance Scheme
Launched in 2020 during the pandemic to manage home-isolation, the A-MED Care program has expanded to support the 30 bath policy in 2023. By 2024, it was scaled on a national level, focusing heavily on home based care for senior citizens. It has processed over 15 million service transactions for over 4 million citizens, and the platform is used by over 5000 nurse clinics nationwide.
This is a programme that allows older persons to access care wherever they are. It supports an already existing 30 baht healthcare policy, and allows for continuous monitoring of older persons.
The Act on Prevention of Elderly Abuse and Support for Caregivers of Elderly People, implemented by national and local Japanese governments, aims to protect the rights of elderly persons by advancing policy measures, including elder abuse prevention and support for caregivers of elderly persons. This includes consultations, guidance and advice on prevention of abuse by caregivers and support for caregivers and prevention of elder abuse by long-term care facility staff.
The beneficiaries were: (1) elderly persons aged 65 and above (and certain vulnerable younger persons), whose dignity and safety were protected through prevention of abuse; and (2) caregivers of the elderly, who received support, counseling, and training to reduce caregiving burdens.
The programme established nationwide consultation and reporting mechanisms at the municipal level, enabling early detection and intervention in elder abuse, while strengthening protection services and caregiver support.
The law was drafted and passed by the Japanese Diet in 2005. It clarified national and municipal responsibilities, created municipal consultation/reporting hotlines, mandated reporting duties for professionals, and granted municipalities authority for investigation and temporary protection, ensuring systematized development and enforcement.
It institutionalizes clear responsibilities and rapid response mechanisms, protecting older persons while also supporting caregivers—making it a comprehensive, prevention-oriented model.
