Transforming health and social services towards a more person-centred and integrated care

Health systems are often designed to focus on individual diseases, often in isolation, putting the diagnosis and management of these at the centre, rather than respond to the more complex and chronic health and care needs. A shift to a continuum of integrated care that is holistic and focuses on intrinsic capacity and functional ability besides diseases is required, based on a primary health care (PHC) approach. A continuum of care requires the implementation of integrated services for older people and their carers across all health and social care settings, from older people’s homes, primary care clinics and hospitals to LTC facilities. Communities have a particularly important role to play to enable “ageing in place”.

The delivery of person-centred integrated care and primary health services responsive to older people towards universal health coverage (UHC) is one of the action areas of UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030). The WHO Integrated Care for Older People approach (ICOPE) helps multi-disciplinary and multi sectoral stakeholders in health and social care to understand, adopt, and implement a person-centred and coordinated care. Implementation of ICOPE could also support the achievement of better health outcomes, improved equity, increased health security and better cost-efficiency; all closely linked with PHC.

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