The Asian Development Bank is at the forefront of providing countries across Asia and the Pacific with the technical assistance needed to develop long-term care systems and services for older people. This report shares insights from six diverse countries at different stages of demographic change: Indonesia, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, and Viet Nam. It explores the situation of long-term care development in these countries, identifies common challenges and promising practices, and recommends key priorities for future action in system strengthening and service delivery.

Countries are facing increasing life expectancy and a shrinking family size and in effect, this may escalate demands for medical and supportive services. The role of families in providing informal care will remain important. However, the simultaneous decline in the supply of informal caregiving caused by changes in family structure and higher female labour-market participation necessitate the expansion of the public role in care provision. This book analyses the challenges of long-term care (LTC) policy development and implications from advanced LTC systems and a current trajectory in emerging economies in Asia. The book approaches the subject through comparative analysis on what works and what does not to provide insight into public policy options for sustainable LTC provision and financing mechanisms. How the countries adopt different approaches to health and social systems towards LTC development could provide important insight and perspectives into policy options in the region. This book aims at academics, policymakers and practitioners in health, social, and aged care services and could also be used as a teaching resource for undergraduate students in health and social sciences and postgraduate programs in public health, epidemiology, social demography, gerontology, and nursing. The book will be of interest to a wider audience not only on social and health consequences of population ageing but also health and social policy relating to older persons.

As global populations age, governments around the world are investigating how to fund long-term care (LTC) in an equitable and sustainable manner. The research reported here has three objectives: (i) to identify and classify middle-income countries (MICs) and high-income countries (HICs) that have established LTC for older populations; (ii) to describe the financing features and undertake a detailed assessment of the public LTC programmes in these countries; and (iii) to identify and discuss the benefits, disadvantages and challenges of the different public LTC financing strategies, based on the experiences of high-income countries and on observations of the reviewed countries. The public LTC financing system of 13 countries is reviewed: five HICs (Australia, Japan, the Netherlands (Kingdom of the), Singapore and Uruguay), and eight MICs (China, Costa Rica, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Serbia, South Africa and Thailand). Although information on LTC expenditure is not consistently reported or available for all countries, the 13 reviewed countries vary considerably in terms of their national income, total spending on health and public share of health care spending. This report concludes with some deliberations and lessons learned on financing options for LTC, specifically for low- and middle-income countries. Overall, the report offers valuable insights into how policy-makers can design effective and sustainable public LTC financing systems, ensuring that individuals and their families receive the necessary support and assistance to lead dignified lives as they age.

Enables readers to understand practical solutions to reduce oral disease and improve oral health in a growing aging population Oral Health for an Ageing Population offers global evidence and practical solutions to enable dental clinicians and policymakers implement effective policies and practices compatible with local needs and resources. The text clearly interprets evidence into knowledge, knowledge into policy, and policy into practice in the context of dental and general health care provision, offering international perspectives and specific examples of implemented global policies. Specific sample topics covered in Oral Health for an Ageing Population include: Burden of global aging and how to achieve oral health among the elderly (including detailed recommendations for integrated clinical and community initiatives) Sustainable development goals, common risk factor approach, life course approach, non-communicable diseases, and frailty prevention Implementing effective health policy at the international and national level and improving attitudes and awareness among the general public regarding oral health Learning from the experience of Japan, the UK, and other countries, plus recommendations for future research, policy, and practice Written by a leading expert in dental geriatrics, Oral Health for an Ageing Population is based on decades of experience dealing with oral health and general health issues arising in an aging society. It provides extensive reviews of the relevant empirical evidence and practical implementation proposals for dentists, dental hygienists, other healthcare professionals, and policymakers.

Aging is a challenge which countries in East Asia and Pacific (EAP) regions are grappling with or will soon confront. It raises many questions for policymakers ranging from potential macroeconomic impacts, to fiscal challenges of supporting pension, health and long-term care systems, and labor market implications as countries seek to promote productive aging. The urgency of the aging challenge varies across the region, but it will confront all EAP countries in time and early preparation is essential to avoid the missteps of other regions. Live Long and Prosper discusses the societal and public policy challenges and reform options for EAP countries as they address aging. It aims to strike a balance between aging optimists and pessimists. On the one hand, the impacts of aging on growth, labor markets and public spending are not the unavoidable catastrophe often feared. However, minimizing the downside risks of aging and ensuring healthy and productive aging will require proactive public policy, political leadership, and new mindsets across society. The report reviews the evidence on demographic transition in EAP and its potential macroeconomic impact. It addresses the current policy environment including pensions and social security, health, and long-term care and labor markets to assess the risks of 'business as usual'. It also suggests policy directions to promote healthy and productive aging in EAP, and emphasizes that aging is not just about older people, but requires policy and behavioral change across the life cycle.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has unleashed unparalleled challenges. At the same time, it offers a window to rethink Asia’s most fundamental development policies and strategies to address inequality, socioeconomic vulnerability, and environmental challenges. This publication gathers blogs and short policy pieces contributed by ADB staff and experts in an attempt to tackle immediate challenges and prepare for what may lie beyond the horizon. It covers a broad range of development challenges and highlights the crucial role of rapid adoption of digital technologies, adequate supply of quality infrastructure, disaster risk management, and strengthening regional cooperation for a resilient and sustainable future by shaping post-pandemic conditions.

Population aging is perhaps the single biggest economic and social obstacle confronting AsiaÕs future. The region-wide demographic transition towards an older population is fundamentally reshaping the demographic landscape, and is giving rise to two key socio-economic challenges. This timely book provides an in-depth analysis of these challenges and presents concrete policy options for tackling them. First, the expert contributors argue, Asia must find ways to sustain rapid economic growth in the face of less favorable demographics, which implies slower growth of the workforce. Second, they contend, Asia must find ways to deliver affordable, adequate and sustainable old-age economic security for its growing elderly population. Underpinned by rigorous analysis, a wide range of concrete policy options for sustaining economic growth while delivering economic security for the elderly are then presented. These include Asia-wide policy options Ð relevant to the entire region Ð such as building up strong national pension systems, whilst other policy options are more relevant to sub-groups of countries. This stimulating and informative book will be of great interest to academics, students and researchers with an interest in Asian studies, economics generally, and more specifically, public sector economics.