Total: 405 good practice(s). Download
Macao, China established a community-based long-term care service network to support older persons with health conditions, frailty or functional limitations while enabling them to continue living in the community. The service system includes home care and support services, home nursing care, day care services, rehabilitation, dementia care, meal delivery, personal care, escort services, counselling and community activities. Individual care plans are developed for frail older persons according to their care needs, while respite and support services are also provided for family caregivers.
Older persons with frailty, chronic illnesses, disabilities or functional limitations who require community-based care and support, as well as their family caregivers.
The programme has established a territory-wide community care network offering home care, day care and rehabilitation services through multiple service centres across Macao. By integrating health and social care services and working with non-governmental organisations, the initiative has strengthened ageing in place and reduced reliance on institutional care for older persons with long-term care needs.
The Social Welfare Bureau developed the programme through partnerships with non-governmental organisations to provide coordinated community-based long-term care services. Service providers assess applicants' functional status and care needs before developing individual care plans. Depending on the level of need, older persons may receive home care, nursing care, rehabilitation, dementia support, escort services or day care. Government funding, professional supervision and a network of community service centres support consistent service delivery across Macao, China.
The initiative demonstrates an integrated model of community-based long-term care that combines health, rehabilitation and social support through strong government–NGO collaboration. By providing individualized care while enabling older persons to remain in their own homes and communities, it offers a practical and replicable approach to ageing in place for rapidly ageing societies.
Nuroniylar maskani centres are established across urban and district areas in Uzbekistan following national initiatives to improve social support for elders. They are designed as comfortable, attractive spaces where older people can gather, socialize, and participate in community life.
They are often rebuilt or renovated through government programmes such as the Tashabbusli budget (Participatory Budget) initiative, reflecting strong community involvement and local government engagement. They serve as hubs for social activities, cultural and educational events, and health and well-being initiatives for older persons.
Older persons in Uzbekistan
With Presidential Decree of 28 December 2016 on social support of older persons facilities were systematically updated and expanded. Support to older persons was integrated into local government initiatives by the mahallas.
The centres provide a dedicated age-friendly space for older persons, they strengthen community cohesion and intergenerational ties.
SHAVKAT MIRZIYOYEV: NURONIYLARNI E’ZOZLAGAN INSON KAM BO‘LMAYDI
The Community for Successful Ageing (ComSA), implemened by the Tsao Foundation, is a community wide-approach aimed at producing an integrated system of programmes and services focused on promoting health and well-being over the life coure and enabling ageing in place. The approach interconnects areas of health, personal empowerment, social participation and well-being.
The program served older adults in the Whampoa estate—many aged 50+, especially those at higher vulnerability due to social isolation, cognitive risk, or limited health access.
The program achieved measurable improvements in participants’ Quality of Life: stronger self-perception of ageing, life satisfaction, interpersonal communication, civic engagement, and social support—all strongly correlated to better QoL.
ComSA was developed via an applied BioPsychoSocial (BPS) theory. It includes three integrated components: SCOPE (Self‑Care of Older Persons): 16-week lessons on ageing well and health self‑management; GAB (Guided Autobiography): 8-week group reminiscence activities enhancing life satisfaction and interpersonal communication; SWING (Sharing Wellness and Initiatives Group): 8-week participatory workshops leading into community action, fostering social support and civic engagement.The design stemmed from community assessments and mapped theoretical constructs (B, P, S and connective sub‑constructs) into practical programming.
ComSA exemplifies a well-theorized, holistic, and community-rooted approach—embedding Bio, Psycho, and Social dimensions in a seamless model that’s grounded in empirical theory, locally tailored, and promotes active ageing across dimensions.
Shanghai communities implemented a range of community-based support services to protect older persons during periods of extreme heat. The services included home visits to older persons living alone, telephone welfare checks, health monitoring, temporary cooling spaces, meal delivery, home safety inspections, transportation to day-care facilities, and community dining services. Volunteers, community workers and care institutions worked together to reduce heat-related risks and ensure that vulnerable older persons could safely remain in their communities during heatwaves.
Older persons, particularly those living alone, the oldest-old, older persons with disabilities or chronic illnesses, and older persons requiring community support.
The initiative strengthened community preparedness for extreme heat by expanding proactive outreach, increasing access to cooling facilities, improving meal delivery services and enhancing coordination among community workers, volunteers and care institutions. It helped ensure the safety and wellbeing of vulnerable older persons during periods of exceptionally high temperatures.
In response to prolonged high temperatures, community governments coordinated with neighbourhood committees, volunteers, community dining facilities and elderly care.
The initiative demonstrates how community-based care systems can strengthen climate resilience for older persons through coordinated local action. By integrating emergency preparedness with routine community care services, the model can be adapted by other cities facing increasing risks from extreme heat events.
The Indonesia Ramah Lansia (IRL) Foundation promotes healthy and active aging by providing older persons and their caregivers with essential knowledge and skills to improve health, prevent disease, and maintain independence. Rooted in Pleret Village in Yogyakarta, where many older adults had limited formal education, the IRL Foundation developed a comprehensive, community‑based approach designed to create sustainable elderly‑friendly environments. Currently, IRL implements several components. The Senior School is a free program using an integrated curriculum that combines practical learning, games, and physical activities such as gymnastics to support the health, social, psychological, economic, and spiritual well‑being of older adults. The Community Caregiver Training Program is a one year course for family members and other informal caregivers to learn how to better support older persons with moderate to total dependency conditions in their daily activities. Another core component is the Dementia Care Corner (modelled on Puskesmas, a community-based primary healthcare facility for mothers and children) providing dementia care and prevention services. Held once a month, it includes such activities as puzzles, art therapy, tongue exercises and counselling.
Older persons and their caregivers.
A key reason for IRL's success has been its focus on working with local communities, including local leaders and health centers (Puskesmas). IRL focused not only on the older persons themselves but also on informal caregivers, who are often overlooked. Moreover, its training materials and a book on lessons learned made it easy to replicate the program nationwide. The 2021 guide book can be downloaded from the link in "Supporting documents" and it is also featured as its own good practice in this database under the title "Guidelines on establishing community-based older persons schools". The approach has led to rapid replication across Indonesia.
https://dinsosp2kb.pekalongankota.go.id//upload/file/file_20230606110355.pdf
The overarching vision of this plan is to create an inclusive nation where everyone can enjoy good health wherever they live. It aims to lay the groundwork for integrated community care by 2025. The plan outlines the implementation of pilot projects and expansion of core infrastructure between 2018 and 2022, the establishment of a foundation for integrated community care by 2025, and the generalisation of integrated community care from 2026 onwards.
People who wish to remain in their lifelong home despite needing care due to aging, accidents, illness, or disability.
In the context of this ministry programme, many efforts were made. For example, various housing concepts have been implemented in many local regions across the country, such as shared housing in Busan and care-safe housing in Jeju. Support for renovating and repairing housing is also provided to improve living environments for seniors.
In November 2018, a road map was created to promote integrated community care. This was based on four pillars: housing, healthcare, long-term care and support, and service connection. The core principle of implementing this plan is that services are demand-driven, based on the needs of the individual rather than supply-driven. This involves creating an Individualised Service Plan for each person and providing services accordingly.
With a clear roadmap, the aim is to establish supportive, community-based living conditions for those in need of care. It sets the groundwork for ageing in place.
Evaluation of the integrated care policy pha-22-7.pdf
Seoul's Metropolitan Government (SMG) implemented a "Comprehensive Senior Welfare Plan," disclosed on October 1, 2021 to mark Senior Citizens Day, consisting of 29 projects across four sectors, backed by a planned investment of KRW 1.4433 trillion through 2025. The four sectors were: stable post-retirement livelihoods, a safe and comprehensive healthcare system, engagement in social and leisure activities, and creation of a senior-friendly environment. Concrete measures included creating 100,000 jobs for the elderly in public and private sectors by 2025, opening a senior employment service centers, and other. The plan also expanded dementia daycare centers to 246 by 2025, introduced personalized nutrition management, deployed 24/7 sensor-based safety monitoring, established elder-abuse protection agencies, built recreational infrastructure like "Seoul Senior Plaza" and "Senior Park," added senior-priority parking, and expanded "senior protection zones" to reduce traffic accidents among older citizens.
Older persons in Seoul City
The programme is implemented by the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) as a coordinated response to demographic pressures, specifically the rapid growth of Seoul's senior population. The SMG's Senior Citizen Implementation was structured around 29 discrete projects organized into four policy sectors, timed for phased rollout through 2025, with a dedicated government budget of KRW 1.4433 trillion allocated to fund them.
This initiative demonstrates good practice through its comprehensive, multi-sectoral design, addressing seniors' economic, health, social, and environmental needs simultaneously rather than through fragmented programs, which supports holistic and sustainable impact. Its innovation lies in integrating technology-driven solutions, such as 24/7 safety management solutions that take care of seniors with sensor technologies, alongside preventive measures like elder-abuse protection agencies and financial crime safeguards, reflecting a forward-looking approach to senior welfare.
Seoul Disclosed “Comprehensive Senior Welfare Plan” to Prepare for Super-aged Society - Seoul Metropolitan Government
Kyrgyzstan developed the Concept of Demographic Policy up to 2040, a framework document defining the goals, principles, priorities, and mechanisms for managing the country's demographic development, built on the National Development Strategy 2018–2040 and the SDG agenda. Concept sets out a dedicated task , "formation and implementation of an active longevity policy for older people", covering pension and healthcare system adaptation, geriatric service development, employment and civic participation of the elderly, and protection from violence and abuse, framed under the goal of a "dignified old age".
Policymakers in all Ministries will benefit from this strategy.
The Concept was prepared using demographic forecasts, census data (2009 and 2022), and socio-economic trend analysis, explicitly aligning its targets with the 2018–2040 National Development Strategy. For the elderly-focused components, it draws on projections of rising life expectancy, growing old-age dependency, and increased demand for geriatric and long-term care, and calls for attracting international organizations to introduce best practices for elder care. Implementation is structured through a designated authorized state body responsible for demographic policy, supported by an advisory council under the Cabinet of Ministers.
This is a good practices because it focuses on the ageing population as a core demographic challenge requiring a dedicated "active longevity" policy with comprehensive overhall in pension system, geriatric services, and social participation of olders. It is replicable, since its indicator-based monitoring system and cross-sectoral coordination model (health, social protection, pensions, employment) offer a template other ageing societies could adapt. Sustainability is reinforced by its long 2040 horizon, an annual progress review by the Cabinet-level advisory body, and a dedicated evidence-based monitoring and evaluation system.
The contact programme with India police is a programme rolled out in Sangam Vihar in South Delhi. It is the largest unauthorized colonies in India, with no government services like water, sewage and electricity. Older persons in this community were especially concerned about their safety as the presence of law enforcement is limited. To combat this, the programme to facilitate contact between street patrol police and the elderly community was implemented. The community were given cards with the phone numbers of all street-police officers in their area. The older people called the police, so the police could gather a database of all the participating elderly, to ensure they would be recognized if they called again. This promoted secure feelings within the elderly community. Older persons living alone were identified and police carried out periodic home visits to check in.
Senior citizens of Sangam Vihar in South Delhi
Over 1800 adults were covered by this police check in programme, and a follow up study 4 months later showed that over 50% of adults still had their contact card with police information on it.
Developed as a direct response to concernsby older persons within the community. Implemented by local police.
This good practice took concerns that were voiced in the community and addressed it with a direct solution.
The Council of Elders is a participatory body that promotes the involvement of older persons in socio-political, economic, and cultural life. It aims to preserve moral values, support intergenerational relations, and contribute to community development. Implemented nationally, it provides a platform for older persons’ participation and representation.
Older persons are direct beneficiaries
The council has more than 21,000 members, operating in 76 regional and city organisations, running events and meetings engaging older persons in civic and socio-cultural life, as well as promoting intergenerational learning and solidarity. Therefore, the result is increased participation of older persons .
The Council of Elders of Azerbaijan was established in 1989 as a public association, operating on principles of volunteerism and equality among members. It is implemented through a nationwide organizational structure: the Council reports having more than 21,000 members and 76 regional and city organizations (including structures in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic), which enables activities to be carried out locally across the country. Its work is delivered via organized meetings, round tables, and discussions involving older persons, youth, and other public representatives, and through cooperation/engagement with relevant institutions as described in official profiles.
It is a good practice because it provides a structured mechanism for older persons’ civic participation—mobilizing large-scale membership through volunteer-based engagement and organized dialogue activities. It is replicable (the model relies on a scalable network of local branches) and sustainable (volunteerism-based, embedded across regions with established membership and regular activities)
