This publication presents findings of a study on the availability and provision of long-term care (LTC) in Thailand, including the need for and supply of LTC, regulatory and policy frameworks, service provision, quality management, human resources, and financing. Analysis, conclusions, and recommendations for the development of LTC systems in Thailand are also included. It contributes to the development of an in-depth knowledge base on LTC policies, programs, and systems. It is one of six country diagnostic studies—the others on Indonesia, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Tonga, and Viet Nam—prepared under the Asian Development Bank technical assistance 9111: Strengthening Developing Member Countries’ Capacity in Elderly Care.

This publication presents findings of a study on the availability and provision of long-term care (LTC) in Tonga. It discusses the need for and supply of LTC in the country, including regulatory and policy frameworks, service provision, quality management, human resources, and financing. Analysis, conclusions, and recommendations for the development of LTC systems in Tonga are also included. Aiming to contribute to increasing the knowledge base on LTC policies, programs, and systems, this publication is one of six country diagnostic studies—the others on Indonesia, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Viet Nam—prepared under the Asian Development Bank technical assistance 9111: Strengthening Developing Member Countries’ Capacity in Elderly Care.

This publication presents findings of a study on the availability and provision of long-term care (LTC) in Mongolia including the need for and supply of LTC, regulatory and policy frameworks, service provision, quality management, human resources, and financing. Analysis, conclusions, and recommendations for the development of LTC systems in Mongolia are also included. It contributes to the development of an in-depth knowledge base on LTC policies, programs, and systems. It is one of six country diagnostic studies—the others on Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, and Viet Nam—prepared under the Asian Development Bank technical assistance 9111: Strengthening Developing Member Countries’ Capacity in Elderly Care.

This publication presents findings of a study on the availability and provision of long-term care (LTC) in Sri Lanka, including the need for and supply of LTC, regulatory and policy frameworks, service provision, quality management, human resources, and financing. Analysis, conclusions, and recommendations for the development of LTC systems in Sri Lanka are also included. It contributes to the development of an in-depth knowledge base on LTC policies, programs, and systems. It is one of six country diagnostic studies—the others on Indonesia, Mongolia, Tonga, Thailand, and Viet Nam—prepared under the Asian Development Bank technical assistance 9111: Strengthening Developing Member Countries’ Capacity in Elderly Care.

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.

We live in a rapidly aging world, in which people who are age 60 and older outnumber children under the age of five. This book reveals large and growing gaps in care for older adults in countries at all income levels and shows how to leverage reforms for improving health outcomes for older adults and create healthier, more prosperous communities. Aimed at policy makers and other health and development stakeholders who want to promote healthier aging, Silver Opportunity compiles the latest evidence on care needs and gaps for aging populations. It argues that primary health care should be the cornerstone of integrated service delivery for older people, but primary health care systems must first build their capacity to respond to older people’s health needs. It presents an original framework for policy action to advance primary health care†“centered, integrated senior care; documents the experiences of pioneering countries in delivering community-based care to older people; and provides recommendations for decision-makers. The framework presents four policy levers with which to improve health care for seniors—financing, innovation, regulation, and evaluation and measurement—or FIRE. Finally, the book posits that by acting now, countries can leverage population aging to accelerate progress toward health equity and universal health coverage.