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.
Within LTC settings, preventive care, including immunization, remains under-prioritized. This project examines current immunization practices through key informant interviews with LTC providers, identifying opportunities to strengthen policy and better protect LTC residents.
Read MoreExplore all IFA publications, tools, and learning resources.
As the global population ages, health systems must adapt to support functional ability and well-being across the life course. Vision loss is among the most common and overlooked...
For many older adults across Europe, pain is something they live with every day affecting how they move, sleep, connect with others, and enjoy life. Yet pain is too often...
On 5 January 2026, U.S. federal health officials announced major changes to the childhood immunisation schedule, moving several vaccines, including rotavirus, influenza,...