Total: 413 good practice(s). Download
The Income Test for the Age Pension is a framework Services Australia uses to determine whether someone qualifies for the Age Pension and how much they can receive by assessing income from all sources—including wages, savings, shares, superannuation, and other financial assets (using deeming rules). It sets “free areas” where no pension reduction applies, then reduces payments for income above those thresholds, with different rates for singles, couples, and transitional-rate pensioners; if income exceeds specific cut‑off points, the pension for that fortnight becomes zero. It is also a tool for pensioners to understand how much they can earn from other sources without losing out on their pension.
Australian retirees reaching statutory pension age, who now receive pension support based on assessed income levels to ensure fair access.
This change streamlined eligibility, improving transparency and equity in pension access. Nearly 80% of age‑eligible Australians now receive some form of age pension, with 50% receiving the full rate—a high take-up compared to other countries.
The income test is managed by Services Australia to ensure fair pension access based on declared and verified income. It is implemented through automated assessments, online tools (like MyGov), and regular income reporting. Thresholds are periodically updated, and the system integrates with tax and employment data for accuracy and efficiency.
The reform provides a transparent, needs-based pension framework that ensures broad coverage while preserving sustainability—delivering fairness and social protection effectively.
The Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) is a social assistance programme of the India implemented under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP). It was introduced in 2009 to provide a basic income floor for widows from poor households who are particularly vulnerable to poverty, social exclusion, and economic insecurity following the death of a spouse. The scheme provides a monthly pension to eligible widows aged 40-79 years belonging to Below Poverty Line (BPL) households. Beneficiaries receive a central pension contribution, which many state governments supplement with additional payments. The pension is transferred directly to beneficiaries' bank or post office accounts through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system, helping improve financial independence and income security for older widows and women approaching old age.
The Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme (IGNWPS) is targeted at widows from Below Poverty Line (BPL) households who are particularly vulnerable to income insecurity following the death of a spouse.
Evidence from programme reviews and policy analyses indicates that the Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme has expanded access to regular income among poor widows and strengthened basic economic security for women who often lack independent earnings or pension entitlements. The scheme provides a predictable cash transfer that helps cover essential daily expenditures and is frequently combined with state-level pension top-ups. Researchers and policy reviews consistently identify widow pensions as an important component of India's social protection floor for vulnerable older women, especially in rural areas where widowhood is strongly associated with poverty and economic dependency.
The Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme was launched in 2009 under the National Social Assistance Programme (NSAP), which had originally been established in 1995 as a national social assistance framework for vulnerable groups. The widow pension component was introduced after recognition that widowhood represents a major pathway into poverty for women, particularly in rural areas and among low-income households. Policymakers acknowledged that traditional family support systems were often insufficient to protect widows following the loss of a spouse and that dedicated income support was needed. The scheme therefore created a nationally financed pension specifically for widows, complementing broader old-age and disability pension programmes under NSAP.
The Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme is a good practice because it directly addresses a gender-specific risk of poverty in old age. Unlike general pension programmes, it is specifically designed for widows, a group that often experiences reduced income, lower asset ownership, interrupted employment histories, and heightened social vulnerability.
https://www.govtschemes.in/indira-gandhi-national-widow-pension-scheme
The document is a comprehensive national guide from Türkiye that explains all services, rights, benefits, and support mechanisms available to older persons, compiled by public institutions for the year 2023. It is designed to help older adults, families, caregivers, and professionals understand what assistance exists and how to access it. It outlines policy goals, gives information on pensions and access thereto, support for widowed women, health services, home care allowance, available long-term care, education opportunities, access to parks etc.
Older men and women in Türkiye
This guide gathers all relevant services and rights into one document, making it easier for older persons to understand what is available and how to access it.
The carer support framework provides a comprehensive package of services to support family members and informal caregivers who provide care for older persons at home. The initiative combines community-based support services, a 24-hour designated hotline for carer support (182 183), an online information gateway for caregivers, financial assistance through the "Allowance for Carers of Elderly Persons" from low-income families, public awareness campaigns, and training programmes for community stakeholders. The approach aims to strengthen carers' capacity, improve access to information and counselling, reduce caregiver burden, and enable older persons requiring long-term care to continue ageing in their communities whenever possible.
Family members and informal caregivers providing care to older persons.
The Allowance for Carers of Elderly Persons from Low-income Families was institutionalized as a regular government programme in October 2023, indicating sustained policy support.
The initiative evolved progressively in response to population ageing and growing recognition of caregiver needs. Existing community care and support services were supplemented through new measures, including the Pilot Scheme on Living Allowance for Carers of Elderly Persons from Low-income Families (2014), the Support for Carers Project (2018), the Designated Hotline for Carer Support, the Information Gateway for Carers, and the territory-wide "Care the Carers Campaign" launched in 2023-24. The programme reflects a shift toward recognizing carers as a key pillar of long-term care and ageing-in-place policies.
This is a good practice because it adopts a whole-of-community approach to supporting caregivers, combining financial support, information services, counselling, emergency assistance, capacity building and public awareness.
The project builds a sustainable system of integrated home care provision with nurses, home helpers and volunteers. It mobilizes the community and promotes the concept of active and healthy ageing.
Services include:
Older persons requiring long-termcare.
Assessments and partner reporting show:
These outcomes have been highlighted by both development partners and government stakeholders as a viable long‑term care model for Armenia
Developed by the Armenian Red Cross in collaboration with Swiss Red Cross society
Instead of institutionalisation, the programme provides integrated medico‑social home care, allowing older persons to remain in their homes as long as possible — a strong preference identified in Armenia through baseline studies. Beyond care provision, the programme actively promotes active and healthy ageing,
Supporting Armenia’s Growing Older Population: Swiss Delegation Visits Shirak Region
Viet Nam has pioneered an integrated community-based long-term care model that supports older persons to age in place through coordinated health and social care services. Trained community caregivers provide home-based support, conduct needs assessments, and connect older persons with health and social protection services. The model strengthens family caregiving while reducing caregiver burden and improving older persons' well-being. Pilot implementation in multiple provinces has demonstrated positive outcomes and provides a promising framework for scaling up affordable, person-centred long-term care in rapidly ageing societies.
Older persons with reduced physical or cognitive functioning, including in rural and underserved communities as well as family caregivers.
The integrated community-based long-term care pilot in Viet Nam improved the health, well-being, and independence of older persons by providing coordinated home- and community-based health and social care services. Through regular home visits, needs assessments, and individualized care plans, older people were better able to manage chronic conditions, maintain daily functioning, and remain in their communities. The programme also reduced the burden on family caregivers by offering training, guidance, and support. In addition, it strengthened collaboration among health providers, social services, community organizations, and volunteers, demonstrating a practical, scalable, and cost-effective model for supporting healthy ageing and ageing in place.
The groundwork was established through the ADB regional technical assistance project Strengthening Developing Member Countries' Capacity in Elderly Care, which included Viet Nam and supported the development of LTC policies, planning, and stakeholder capacity.
The Integrated Community-Based Long-Term Care (LTC) Model in Viet Nam is considered a good practice because it provides person-centred, community-based care that enables older persons to age in place, rather than relying on costly institutional care. By bringing health and social services together, the model addresses the multiple and interconnected needs of older people in a coordinated manner.
The programme also strengthens and supports family caregiving, which remains the primary source of long-term care in Viet Nam. Through training, guidance, and community support, it reduces the physical, emotional, and financial burden on family caregivers while improving the quality of care provided to older persons.
Another key strength is its use of local resources and community networks, including commune health stations, community caregivers, volunteers, and Older Persons' Associations. This makes the model relatively affordable, sustainable, and adaptable to both rural and urban settings.
Advancing the Scale-Up of Integrated Community-Based Long-Term Care for Older People – HelpAge International tại Việt NamDeveloping Innovative Community-Based Long-Term Care Systems and Services: Lessons from a Pilot Project in Viet Nam | Asian Development Bank
The Integrated Community-Based Screening Programme (ICBSP) is a model where healthcare workers visit villages and remote areas to screen older persons for the 'big five' impairments (visual and hearing loss, mobility decline, cognitive impairment, malnutrition, and depression).
Older persons in rural areas/villages in Bhutan
Data collected from this model enabled the creation of a national Digital Health Database for seniors. Through the health checks, it was found that around 20% of seniors living rurally needed immediate interventions for cataracts or mobility issues. These interventions would have gone unnoticed without the ICBSP model.
his model was developed as a response to the country's demographic shift. The wellbeing of Bhutanese elderly was usually viewed through the Gross National Happiness philosophy. This is the first standardized medical model that brings geriatric care into the primary care system.
This model adopts the WHO model of Integrated Care for Older People, but adapts it for rural settings by making the screening mobile rather than hospital-based.
The CNMI Office on Aging provides a package of community-based services designed to support older persons and persons with disabilities across the islands of Saipan, Tinian and Rota. The programme operates multi-purpose senior centres that offer nutritious meals, exercise sessions, health-related activities, social interaction and recreational opportunities in a safe and accessible environment. Transportation services help older persons access pensions, Social Security benefits, medical appointments, financial institutions and essential community services. The programme also promotes active ageing through computer literacy classes, cultural activities, music, arts and crafts, gardening, physical exercise and intergenerational learning opportunities. The Nutrition Services Program provides both congregate meals for active participants and home-delivered meals for homebound older persons, helping reduce malnutrition and social isolation while enabling older persons to remain in their homes and communities.
A YouTube channel by the Office of Ageing raises awareness on healthy and active ageing.
Older persons in Northern Mariana Islands
The programme has created accessible community hubs for older persons on all three inhabited islands
The programme originated when the Older Americans Act (OAA) was extended to the Northern Marianas in 1974, leading to the establishment of an ageing programme for older persons in the territory. The current Office on Aging emerged as the institutional mechanism responsible for implementing OAA-funded services for older persons
This practice adopts a holistic approach to ageing by integrating nutrition, mobility, social participation, lifelong learning, health promotion and community support within a single service system.
(427) CNMI OoA - YouTube
The Red Crescent Society of Kyrgyzstan implements a community‑based care model for older people that combines home‑based social and health support with active participation and volunteer engagement. Through trained community volunteers working in coordination with state social workers, older persons—particularly those living alone, with disabilities, or in rural areas—receive assistance with daily activities, access to health services, delivery of food and medicines, psychosocial support, and provision of assistive devices. The model also promotes active ageing by supporting day‑care centres, elderly clubs, and self‑help groups where older people contribute as peer supporters and community volunteers. This approach proved especially effective during emergencies, including COVID‑19, enabling outreach to thousands of older people while safeguarding dignity and reducing isolation.
Older persons requiring long-term care
The initiative has significantly improved access to social and basic health services for vulnerable older people in Kyrgyzstan, particularly those living alone or with limited mobility. By 2017, the model had reached approximately 400 vulnerable older people, supported by around 200 trained community volunteers, delivering home‑based social care, household assistance, and health‑related support in coordination with state social workers. Importantly, 100% of older persons with low mobility who requested support received assistive equipment, enabling greater independence and social participation.
The community‑based care initiative for older people in Kyrgyzstan was developed incrementally, in response to growing social care gaps and limited institutional capacity. In the mid‑2010s, the Red Crescent Society of Kyrgyzstan (RCSK) identified increasing isolation, poverty, and unmet care needs among older persons, particularly those living alone or with limited mobility, through its routine social assistance and health outreach work. Drawing on IFRC community‑based home care standards and lessons from volunteer‑led health and social programmes, RCSK piloted a model that combined home‑based support, trained community volunteers, and coordination with state social workers, ensuring complementarity with public social services rather than duplication.
The practice is cost‑effective, scalable, and aligned with the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing and the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing, making it a transferable example for countries with limited long‑term care infrastructure.
Integrated home Based Care in Kyrgyzstan | Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung
Rapid demographic change with increased life expectancy and increasing unhealthy years have driven sustained growth in long-term care (LTC) needs. Traditional family care—once dominant—has declined as household structures changed, increasing reliance on formal systems.
To address growing care demands, Japan introduced the Long‑Term Care Insurance (LTCI) system in 2000, through Long-Term Care Insurance Law (Law No. 123 of 1997) integrating previously fragmented welfare and medical-care arrangements. Municipalities serve as insurers; eligibility begins at age 40, with older adults receiving care based on assessed support/care levels. Users pay a 10% co‑payment, with the remainder funded through premiums and national–prefectural–municipal subsidies. LTCI expanded access to home‑, community‑, and facility‑based services and shifted care from hospitals to more appropriate settings.
Japan is now promoting integrated community care, emphasizing ageing in place, coordination between medical and LTC services, and diversified housing options.
Older persons requiring long-term care and their families
Long-term care insurance increased access to formal care services and reduced public health expenditure. The introduction of the long-term care insurance also reduced the cost of long-term care and overall healthcare costs for the Government. (Source: Government of Japan, Survey for the Fourth Asia-Pacific Review and Appraisal of MIPAA).
It was developed because public healthcare expenditure became unsustainable because of the lack of long-term care insurance.
Before LTCI, long‑term care was split among welfare programs and health insurance, leading to inefficiencies and over‑medicalization of care. The introduction of LTCI integrated social welfare and medical care systems and rationalized service delivery. This reduced inappropriate hospital use and provided a clearer care pathway for older persons. It also provides a model of learning from failure and reforming unsustainable systems.
Long-term care in Japan
