Strengthening long-term care to protect dignity, safety, and quality of life in later life.
Long-term care (LTC) is defined differently across countries, but can be broadly described as a range of health and social support services delivered in both community and residential settings (including nursing homes in some contexts). These services support older people with varying levels of independence and care needs. Long-term care is a key action area of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing and a critical component of supporting dignity, functional ability, and quality of life in later life.
As population ageing accelerates, long-term care systems increasingly sit at the intersection of health, social care, workforce, financing, housing, and human rights. Persistent gaps in care standards, workforce capacity, infection prevention, and system coordination continue to affect outcomes for residents, while the voices and lived experiences of older people are too often underrepresented in decision-making. Strengthening LTC therefore requires integrated approaches that uphold quality, safety, accountability, and person-centred care.
A selection of publications, initiatives, and activities related to this area of work.
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