Total: 413 good practice(s). Download
The Government Senior Citizens Apartments programme provides purpose-built, age-friendly public housing for older persons with self-care ability. The apartments incorporate barrier-free design, smart home technologies and integrated community support services to enable older persons to age safely and independently. Residents have access to healthcare support, emergency response services, social and recreational facilities, home care support and community activities within the residential complex, promoting independent living and social participation. The regulation provides the legal framework to establish these apartments.
Permanent residents of Macao, China, aged 65 years and above who have self-care ability and wish to live independently in an age-friendly environment.
The programme established the first dedicated public housing model for older persons in Macao, China, providing approximately 1,815 residential units with integrated healthcare, emergency support and community facilities. The apartments have expanded housing options for older persons and promoted ageing in place through a comprehensive package of housing and support services.
The programme was developed by the Government of Macao, China, to respond to rapid population ageing and improve the living environment for older persons. It combines age-friendly housing design with healthcare support, emergency assistance, smart home technologies and community services within a single residential development. A dedicated regulatory framework was introduced to govern eligibility, allocation and management, while supporting facilities such as day care, home care, health services and recreational spaces were incorporated to provide integrated support for residents.
The initiative demonstrates an integrated approach to ageing in place by combining housing, health, smart technology and community care within one public programme. Its comprehensive service model promotes independence, safety and social inclusion for older persons and provides a practical and replicable example for other ageing societies.
The Kyrgyz Republic developed the draft State Programme on Active Longevity for 2025–2030, a comprehensive national policy framework specifically for older persons, elderly citizens, and pensioners (defined as women 58+ and men 63+, with "elderly" formally meaning 65+). It responds to the country's demographic aging — the share of people 65+ was 5.7% in 2024 and is projected to reach 19% by 2050 — and sets out six priority pillars: social inclusion and dignity, healthy and safe living, social service development, extended working life for pensioners, access to education/retraining, and age-adapted infrastructure, all guided by the "leave no one behind" principle from the 2030 SDG agenda.
Policymakers implementing policies on ageing in Kyrgyzstan
The Programme was developed by the Ministry of Labor, Social Development and Migration, building on the existing 2019–2025 Action Plan under the Law "On Elderly Citizens. It draws on National Statistical Committee demographic data and Social Fund pension statistics, and proposes cross-sectoral implementation involving health, social protection, education, and local self-government bodies, including creation of elder councils at municipal levels and development of a national "Active Longevity Index" to track outcomes through an accompanying 2025–2030 action plan.
It's a good practice because it uses a multi-pillar, whole-of-government structure (health, employment, education, infrastructure, social inclusion) which can be adjusted and replicated for other countries facing similar demographic transitions. Sustainability is embedded through legal grounding in existing legislation, phased regional expansion of geriatric/day-care centers, and mechanisms (like the planned Active Longevity Index) for continuous data-driven adjustment through 2030.
mlsp.gov.kg/ru/2025/03/17/mintrud-razrabotal-programmu-aktivnogo-dolgoletiya/
The Guidance on promoting the integration of medical and health care and elderly services policy, implementd by the Chinese Government, Health Comission and other Comissions, is a policy aimed at promoting the integration of medical care and elderly care, to optimise elderly healthcare services. The guidance focuses on a range of priority areas, namely, provision of home services, strengthening community capacity, supporting care institutions to provide integrated services, strengthening information systems, improving price policy for services, increasing insurance support, improving disability care training, improving industry supervision and improving communicable disease prevention and control.
Older persons with disabilities, chronic diseases, advanced age, dementia, or mobility difficulties, including those at home, in communities, or in institutions.
For example, by October 2022 Fujian Province had 182 integrated medical–eldercare institutions with 48,813 beds, up 76.7% and 60.5% respectively from 2019, significantly enhancing service coverage and capacity.
Developed through inter-ministerial coordination, with policy tools such as fiscal subsidies, medical insurance inclusion, service guidelines, and capacity-building actions. Local governments refined implementation to expand home, community, and institutional services.
It integrates health and eldercare resources, ensures targeted coverage for vulnerable seniors, and shows measurable, replicable impact nationwide.
A national guideline to support the care, protection, and quality of life of people living with dementia. The guideline provides practical recomendations to integrate approaches into daily care routines, in particular regular physical activity focused on maintaining mobility, balance, cognitive functioning and psychological wellbeing.
Older persons with dementia
It was developed as a technical and practice-oriented document aligned with preventive health and standard-of-care principles. It draws on evidence based approaches to dementia care, emphasising physical activity, safe environments and monitoring of physical and cognitive progress. Implementation is reliant upon voluntary adoption by healthcare providers and caregiversand is intended to be implemented into pre-existing care routines and service delivery models.
It provides clear, evidence-informed guidance that promotes preventive, person-centred approaches to dementia care. Its focus on physical and cognitive activities strengthens care quality while aligning dementia care with broader health promotion and long-term care standards.
Guideline of Protective Approaches for Persons with Dementia | Ageing Policies Database - UNECE
The guidelines for establishing and managing Older People’s Associations (OPAs) provide a framework to create community-based groups that empower older persons to participate actively in social and economic life. They outline steps for forming OPAs, including community mobilization, leadership selection, and capacity building, while emphasizing inclusivity, transparency, and sustainability. The document also details governance structures, roles and responsibilities, financial management practices, and strategies for linking OPAs with local authorities and service providers. Overall, the guidelines aim to strengthen older persons’ voices, promote mutual support, and enhance resilience within communities.
Older persons in Cambodia are direct beneficiaries from the establishment of Older Persons Associations.
The guidelines and subsequent implementation led to the establishment of 247 Older Persons Associations (OPAs) in Cambodia across 25 provinces and cities (As of November 2024). The establishment of OPAs leads to the empowerment of older persons, increases their participation and strengthens social cohesion and intergenerational solidarity. OPAs often organize activities like health awareness, savings groups, and disaster preparedness, improving both individual well-being and community resilience. They also foster intergenerational solidarity, reduce social isolation, and create informal support networks, making communities more inclusive and better equipped to address challenges collectively.
The OPA guidelines were collaboratively developed in 2009 by the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation of Cambodia and the National Committee for Population and Development, drawing on technical expertise and financial support from HelpAge International and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). They reflect a joint government–NGO initiative aimed at strengthening older people’s associations nationwide—providing structured processes for community mobilization, governance, capacity-building, and linkages with local authorities—to promote the well-being and inclusion of older adults in line with national policy priorities.
Guidelines to establish OPAs make it a sustainable practice. OPAs themselves empower older persons.
Elderly Associations in Cambodia Seek Social Protection, Financial Security | CamboJA News
This is a guide book for establishing elderly schools (Sekolah Lansia) in communities in line with the Bina Keluarga Lansia (Family Development for Older Persons) framework. The guide outlines Sekolah Lansia as a non-formal educational model that empowers older persons—especially those still active in family and community life—to become SMART: Sehat, Mandiri, Aktif, Produktif, dan Bermartabat (Healthy, Independent, Active, Productive and Dignified). Sekolah Lansia includes modules on healthy ageing, chronic disease prevention, cognitive stimulation, mental well‑being, economic empowerment, social participation, and safe, elder‑friendly environments. Implementation involves trained facilitators, monthly learning sessions, community‑based activities, home visits, and periodic assessments using tools such as ADL, IADL, and happiness and life‑satisfaction indexes.
Older persons and their caregivers.
The 2021 BKKBN Guide laid the foundation for creating Sekolah Lansia (Elderly Schools) within the Bina Keluarga Lansia (BKL) groups. This guide has been implemented at national scale. As of 2025, 2122 Sekolah Lansia facilities have already been created across all provinces in Indonesia using the guide as the standard reference for curriculum, structure, and implementation, and over 20000 older persons have participated in the Sekolah Lansia programmes.
The Sekolah Lansia di Kelompok BKL initiative is a national effort led by BKKBN (National Population and Family Planning Agency) in partnership with the Indonesia Ramah Lansia (IRL) Foundation to improve the well‑being of older adults through lifelong, non‑formal education. It operates within Bina Keluarga Lansia community groups designed to strengthen families with elderly members. Overall, the initiative seeks to enable older adults to stay functional, engaged, and valued—while strengthening family resilience and community support systems. The Indonesia Ramah Lansia (IRL) Foundation is presented as its own good practice in this database under the title "Community-based education for older adults and their caregivers in Yogyakarta".
A campagin to promote gymnastics as a sport for all ages, including older persons, was initiated by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the Gymnastics Associatoin of Indonesia. It includes a series of events promoting gymnastics for older persons. It was initiated with a kick-off event in May 2025 which attracted over 120 participants, including a 93-year- old lady. Participants also who also benefited from free medical checkups, including musculoskeletal evaluation and personalized exercise programs to do at home. In addition, a smartphone application will be introduced, allowing seniors to track health metrics, perform exercises at home, and share data with medical providers.
Older persons in Jakarta
Direct results were that the participants were introduced to physical exercise and received free medical check-ups. It is too early to state long-term results. The overall aim of the campaign is to support healthy ageing through physical exercise and to encourage sports for all ages and abilities.
The FIG Aging Society initiative was developed as part of the International Gymnastics Federation’s (FIG) long-term strategy to promote healthy aging through physical activity. FIG identified aging populations as a global challenge and positioned gymnastics as a preventive health tool . FIG collaborated with local organizers in Jakarta, medical professionals, and tech developers to integrate health screenings and digital monitoring. The event in Jakarta served as a kick-off event.
The hosting of the Gymnastics World Championships by the Indonesian Gymnastics Association was used to raise awareness of exercise for all and of the importance of healthy lifestyles. In-person kick off meetings were supplemented with a mobile application that allows people to practice at home. It is a collaboration between Government, an the international governing body of gymnastics and medical providers in Indonesia.
HASU is a Vietnamese digital health and well‑being application for middle‑aged and older people (50+), developed and operated by a social‑impact enterprise founded by Ngô Thùy Anh and launched in March 2020. Designed as a personal digital assistant for ageing well, HASU supports physical health, mental well‑being, and social connection through features such as home‑based exercise guidance, health education, meditation and sleep support, online learning and cultural classes, and community forums that help reduce isolation. The app was initially created in response to the COVID‑19 pandemic and has evolved into a broader age‑tech solution that also promotes digital literacy and active ageing, with a strong user base of older women.
Older persons in Viet Nam, especially those who felt disconnected.
Since its launch in March 2020, HASU has delivered tangible benefits for older people in Việt Nam, particularly during and after the COVID‑19 period. The app has enabled thousands of older users (50+) to improve physical and mental well‑being, stay socially connected, and increase digital literacy through accessible, age‑friendly technology. By 2022, more than 12,000 users were actively using the app, with a significant proportion being older women, reflecting its success in reaching a group often at risk of isolation and limited access to digital services. HASU has supported healthier lifestyles through guided home exercises, meditation, sleep support, and health education, while also reducing loneliness by facilitating online communities, learning, and cultural activities. In addition, HASU has strengthened digital inclusion, providing smartphone training, online and offline classes, and device support for older persons who previously had little or no experience with technology. The initiative has gained national and international recognition as a social‑impact innovation, receiving awards and selection in entrepreneurship and social‑impact competitions.
HASU is a non‑government initiative, implemented by a private social enterprise, and is often cited as a good practice in community‑based, technology‑enabled support for older persons in Viet Nam, complementing public ageing policies rather than replacing them. It enhances digital literacy of older persons and connects them.
The young female CEO and Vietnam’s first app for the elderly
The initiative mobilizes retired medical professionals, especially experienced senior experts and veteran traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctors, to serve in grassroots healthcare institutions in underserved areas. By offering outpatient services, mentoring, and skills training, the program aimed to enhance primary-level healthcare capacity and address local health needs through intergenerational expertise sharing and expanded talent channels.
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 Health Law of Indonesia (Law No. 36/2009) emphasizes right to live healthy, dignified, and productive lives for older persons. It mandates that the Government must ensure the availability of geriatric‑appropriate health services and facilitate older persons to remain independent and socially and economically active (Article 138). It also requires that the elderly be prioritized in public health funding allocations, placing them among key vulnerable groups for whom government resources must be directed (Article 172). In addition, health care for the elderly is framed as a shared responsibility of national and regional governments and the community, ensuring that service systems and supportive environments are collectively maintained. The law also takes a life-cycle approach on nutrition (Article 142).
People of all ages in Indonesia
The law provides the legal foundation to establish a comprehensive, rights‑based, and people‑centered health system.
