Total: 405 good practice(s). Download
Approved by the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan on April 22, 2021, the Roadmap for the Development of Volunteering seeks to promote volunteerism among older adults through the "Silver Volunteering" initiative. This program aims to engage senior citizens in volunteer activities, leveraging their knowledge and experience to actively contribute to the country's social life, while offering The initiative is supported by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Kazakhstan, with grant funding from the NAO "Center for Civil Initiatives". Each of the 17 regions has its own local project coordinator to ensure effective implementation. "Silver Volunteering" is targeted at individuals aged 50 and above across all regions of Kazakhstan. It aims to foster their involvement in social activities, volunteer projects, and charitable events. Participants can join the program by completing online forms, with assistance available for those needing help with digital tools. The project provides training in media literacy, organizes outdoor activities, sports, eco-events, and other community-based initiatives.
Older persons in Kazakhstan
By 2021, nearly 800 older adults from all over Kazakhstan had joined the program. The roadmap was approved in April 2021 and is set for implementation through 20
It promotes the participation of older persons.
Roadmap for the Development of Volunteering 2021–2023 | Ageing Policies Database - UNECE
The Skills and Employment Skills training, under the Skills Checkpoint Programme, was implemented by the Department of Education. This incentive asissts older persons in Australia to develop skills in their careers to remain productive and thus be kept in the workforce for longer, providing citizens aged 45-70 with up to $2,200 to fund suitable training.
The program targets mature workers aged 45 and above within Victoria—particularly those in employment at risk, recently unemployed, or seeking to transition into new roles or careers. It supports both individuals and their employers.
Since November 2018, BUSY At Work has supported over 7,000 participants across multiple states, helping mature-aged workers access career guidance, create tailored career plans, and pursue upskilling or career transitions with funding of up to AUD 2,200 toward eligible training.
The Australian Government’s Department of Education, Skills and Employment designed the free program; it is delivered via contracted organizations like BUSY At Work. Participants undergo personalised assessments followed by one-on-one career advice and training recommendations, with co-funded training accessible through the Skills and Training Incentive.
It offers flexible, evidence-based support that enables mature workers to remain productive—combining career advisory services, training funding, and a tailored, participant-centric model for lifelong employability.
The SkillsFuture Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy, implemented by the Government of Singapore, aims to provide additional subsidies to Singaporean citizend aged 40 and above to encourage upskilling and reskilling to adapt to changing job requirements. This subsidy regonised that mid-career Singaporeans may face greater challenges in undertaking training, offering up to 90% of course fees for varous course types.
This initiative benefits all Singaporeans aged 25 and above, including students, early-career individuals, mid-career workers, and senior professionals—along with employers, training providers, and unions.
In 2023, approximately 520,000 individuals participated in SSG-supported training—200,000 of whom were mid-career workers using enhanced subsidies. Employers also stepped up: 23,000 organizations supported around 228,000 employees in training.
Developed through collaboration among SSG, Workforce Singapore, industry partners, and unions, SkillsFuture rolled out via SkillsFuture Credit, targeted subsidies (e.g., Mid-Career Enhanced Subsidy), and employer incentives. Implementation uses digital platforms (MySkillsFuture), training partnerships, and major public campaigns.
SkillsFuture integrates inclusive lifelong learning with data-driven, scalable delivery—ensuring broad participation across life stages while aligning skills development with evolving industry needs.
SK Telecom, a leading telecommunications provider in the RoK, offers NUGU OPAL, an AI speaker assistant designed to enhance the comfort and safety of older individuals. It assists users with daily life by reminding them to take their medication, manage their schedules, and make emergency calls. The cognitive training service "Brain Talk Talk" is a part of the AI assistant and can be used for cognitive training.
Older persons in the Republic of Korea regardless of their level of digital literacy or their mobile network provider.
The results of independent research support the programme's effectiveness, showing improvements in long-term and working memory, as well as language fluency. After two years of using the service, the incidence rate of dementia among the study participants was found to be 3.24%, which is significantly lower than average.
Brain Talk Talk was developed through a collaboration between three organisations: a telecommunications company, a foundation and a university. It builds on the Meta Memory Classroom brain exercise programme by providing voice-based artificial intelligence content. Since 2022, the basic package of this service is available to senior users free of charge.
The digital innovation enables cognitive training for older individuals in a user-friendly way, as it is built into a speaker. It offers advanced functionality that extends beyond that of an intelligent assistant.
To support healthy, "in-place" ageing on the remote island of Osaki Shimojima in Hiroshima Prefecture, the social enterprise Nurse & Craft introduced innovative approaches and new technologies. With most younger people having left the island, about 70 per cent of its 1,600 residents are aged 65 or older. In response to a chronic shortage of doctors and nurses, a home-visit nursing station was set up linking to doctors on the mainland via telemedicine. As many older residents live with chronic conditions, the nurses’ work is mainly focused on health promotion and quality‑of‑life improvements. As residents' trust grew over time, the nurses also began offering palliative care. The model is attractive for nurses, who can combine nursing with other jobs, while the island’s calm environment and low cost of living make relocation more appealing. Beyond regular home visits, Nurse & Craft offers monthly classes on medical and digital literacy, teaching older residents to use IoT (Internet of Things) health tools such as smartwatches and urinalysis devices. Shared lunches help reduce social isolation, and the enterprise is also experimenting with augmented reality applications. Another key element of the initiative is the Tobishima Nurse Retreat, which welcomes outside nursing professionals to meet residents, take courses and rest. Among others, Nurse & Craft has trained more than 200 nursing students in home nursing, thereby also providing for continuous intergenerational exchange.
Primary beneficiaries are the older residents of the island who are enabled to age in place. Nursing professionals also benefit through the opportunity of community retreats and learning - and if they work on the island through flexible employment options.
Having nursing stations in remote areas is key to provide palliative care and residents enrolled in the IoT‑based healthcare services feel more secure about ageing in place, while the shared lunches have helped create a more vibrant community and strengthened social ties. The initiative has been widely regarded as successful and is now being replicated in the city of Niimi in Okayama Prefecture.
Within five years, the social enterprise has achieved financial viability as the home-visit nursing services are covered through medical and long-term care insurance systems, and as Nurse & Craft also generates revenue through fees for its IoT‑based health services, and from the health‑tourism activities offered through its Tobishima Nurse Retreat.
Bringing nurses to the island helped older residents overcome the technology gap, enabling them to use telemedicine and other digital health tools. The nurses also act as intermediaries between patients and doctors and can arrange follow‑ups when in‑person care is required. In a super‑ageing society, preventive care plays a critical role. This initiative is also innovative because it compensates nurses not only for managing chronic conditions but also for encouraging healthy habits and supporting social engagement.
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This is a non-contributory pension scheme, serving as a safety net for vulnerable older persons in the Philippines. It is strictly for citizens who are over 60 and who are frail or have a disability, and who have no income, support from relatives or pension from elsewhere. This pension specifically addresses the pension gap that is faced by Filipina women. They have often worked in the informal economy, and have no savings, necessary to receive other pensions. This is important as women generally live longer than men and often have less assets they represent a large number of the indigent seniors receiving this pension. As of 2024, the pension amount was doubled from PHP 500 to 1000.
Vulnerable older persons with no other source of income
Women who receive this pension make up approximately 60-70% of the total recipients. Through this pension, they have more autonomy over their money, fostering a sense of independence. 4.11 million indigent persons nationwide receive this pension.
Developed as a response to the gap in coverage, where millions of Filipinos who were informal workers became elderly without any form of income security. Seniors may apply at the Office of the Senior Citizens Affair or the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office in their local town.
This is a gender-responsive good practice focusing on protection of 'invisible' workers, those who were a part of the informal economy their whole lives. It also shifts the burden of care for older persons from family onto the government, recognizing that contributory pensions are not enough for a developing country such as the Philippines. This pension can also help break intergenerational cycles of poverty by ensuring grandparents are not a financial drain on the rest of the family. Funds can then be redirected to the younger members.
Department of Social Welfare and Development
Fiji’s Social Pension Scheme (SPS) is a non-contributory monthly allowance for citizens aged 65 and over who do not receive any other pension or social welfare benefits. Administered by the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Protection through the Department of Social Welfare, the scheme provides FJD 100 per month to eligible seniors, with an additional FJD 25 monthly top-up for transport assistance for those aged 70+ or with disabilities. Funded by the national budget, SPS is Fiji’s largest social assistance programme, supporting over 50,000 beneficiaries and aiming to reduce poverty and improve mobility among older persons.
All older women and men in Fiji
The scheme covers over 50,000 beneficiaries, providing them basic income security.
It evolved from a means-tested targeted cash transfer to a more universal scheme, excluding only those who achieved superannuation through the Fiji National Pension Service.
It provides basic income security for older persons and also enables access to transportation for older persons through a specific transportation allowance. Thus, it also contributes to reducing isolation of older persons.
50,000-plus elderly citizens in Fiji benefit from social pension scheme - The Fiji Times
Presentation by the Government of Fiji, ESCAP
The programme implements a home‑based and community‑linked support model for lonely older people. Volunteers provide social accompaniment at home, including household help, partial sanitary‑hygienic care, assistance with documents and subsidies, accompaniment to church, friendly visits, and moral support, with a stated goal of postponing institutionalization and ensuring that state services are properly delivered. The programme also secures goods of daily necessity such as food, hygiene and cleaning items, distributing both large surplus batches and individual gifts prepared according to recommended lists. In addition, the programme runs a cultural component that offers free tickets to theatres, concerts, and museums, as well as excursions and club meetings with tea to combat loneliness, and it delivers psychological counselling through an in‑person cabinet and psychotherapeutic groups at the Kuntsevsky Social Service Center.
The primary beneficiaries are lonely older adults, many of whom are persons with disabilities, whose finances are largely consumed by essential bills and medication. The model addresses material deprivation through the provision of basic goods and attends to social‑psychological needs through companionship, cultural participation, and counselling. It also reaches older people who are not ready to approach formal psychological or medical services, but who are willing to engage with the foundation’s psychologists in a lower‑barrier setting, thereby widening access to support for a highly vulnerable group.
Older people receive regular home‑based support, goods of daily necessity, free access to cultural events, and confidential psychological assistance in a format they perceive as simpler and non‑binding, which encourages participation. The home‑visit model helps mitigate loneliness and delay moves to nursing homes, while cultural activities and club meetings help restore social connections and interest in life following bereavement. The programme’s continuous operation since 1999, together with its expansion to multiple components, demonstrates institutional continuity and sustained impact rather than short‑term relief.
The programme was the foundation’s first and began in 1999. It initially supplied veterans in Moscow’s Kuntsevo district with food packages and new clothing. Within a year, the programme expanded to include a cultural component and a clothing reception and distribution point, establishing the multi‑component model that has guided the initiative since then. Assistance continues under the foundation’s broader programmes “You will help—others will help you” and “Social support of the Kuntsevo district population.” The programme evolved from material support into a holistic, person‑centred approach that integrates practical home assistance, material aid, cultural engagement, and psychological support. Volunteers act as social companions and “do what a close relative would do,” while the foundation explicitly states that it does not replace social workers or other state services; instead, it seeks to ensure their delivery for beneficiaries. By partnering with a social service center to offer accessible counselling and group therapy, and by creating low‑threshold cultural activities, the programme enables older people to re‑engage socially in ways they find comfortable and non‑intimidating.
This practice is holistically designed, integrating practical home help, material aid, cultural engagement, and mental‑health support within a coherent, prevention‑oriented model. It explicitly aims to postpone institutionalization while ensuring the fulfilment of state services, complementing rather than duplicating public provision. Its low‑threshold, dignity‑affirming access enables seniors who avoid formal services to engage with counselling and cultural clubs, reducing isolation and despair. Finally, its proven longevity since 1999 and iterative expansion reflect sustainability and adaptability to evolving needs.
The "Soul Neighbour Project" was established to support older persons who require home care and to enhance their participation in social life. The initiative mobilizes trained volunteers from the community to assist older persons in their homes. Volunteers provide support with daily living activities and instrumental activities of daily living, helping older persons remain in their communities while receiving practical assistance.
In its response to the Fourth Review of MIPAA, the Government indicates that volunteers provide support for daily living activities and instrumental daily living activities and that the initiative was considered sufficiently valuable to be included in plans for expansion under Turkey's 2020-2030 Ageing Vision Document.
The project was implemented through cooperation between a local government authority, a public hospital, and EVSAD. The model relies on trained volunteers who provide support to older persons in their home environment. The initiative combines community engagement, volunteerism, home care support, and social inclusion. The programme aligns with Turkiye's policy objective of strengthening volunteer participation and supporting older persons to remain active members of society.
Supports ageing in place by assisting older persons within their own homes and communities.
TR_MIPAAsurvey_2021.pdf
The Senior Able Citizens for Re-Employment in Dignity (SACRED) initiative, implemented by national and local Indian Governments, is an IT portal that was developed to bring the employment seeker senior citizens and employment providers on one platform. The portal aims to provide opportunities to well experienced senior citizens and pairs up employers and older employees based on experience, expertise and interest.
The initiative benefits experienced senior citizens across India seeking dignified re-employment. It also serves corporate employers, providing them access to a pool of seasoned professionals.
As of August 2022, a total of 4,527 senior citizens registered on the SACRED portal, with 63 actively applying for job opportunities via the platform.
Developed by India’s Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, SACRED was launched by the Vice President in October 2021. The portal was technically opened in September 2021 to corporations for posting job vacancies, and the government continues promoting it among both job-seeking seniors and employers.
It fosters age-inclusive employment access through a dedicated, scalable digital platform—leveraging experience-driven senior talent while enhancing workforce diversity.
