Bulletin of the World Health Organization最新文献

Problem: China is experiencing rapid population ageing, placing increasing pressure on health-care systems, social services and families.

Approach: In 2019, the Shanghai Civil Affairs Bureau launched a citywide initiative to create dementia-friendly communities that integrate nonpharmacological interventions as an essential component. The bureau invited local agencies to apply for funding and design locally tailored interventions for people aged 55 years or older with cognitive impairment. Approved projects received funding over a three-year period. The bureau conducted annual assessments of the projects, and projects rated as excellent were showcased during public awareness campaigns for dementia.

Local setting: Shanghai, one of China' s most populous and rapidly ageing cities, has an estimated 300 000 people with dementia.

Relevant changes: By 2023, all 216 subdistricts and townships in Shanghai had implemented a project. These projects provided cognitive training and education and incorporated one or more activities for participants, such as horticulture, games, music, exercise and aromatherapy. Among the surveyed participants in 44 projects conducted in 2023 and 2024, 85.1% (275/323) reported being satisfied or very satisfied, and 90.1% (291/323) believed the interventions met their needs.

Lessons learnt: Shanghai's publicly funded model enabled citywide dementia-friendly projects, which were highly appreciated by participants. Future efforts should strengthen academic collaboration for evidence-based practice, and adopt standardized protocols with validated measures to ensure consistent assessment and readiness for scale-up. To reinforce progress, the bureau launched the 2025-2030 implementation plan to sustain continued funding and provide technical support.

An innovative model of integrated care is helping countries respond to the challenges of population ageing. Gary Humphreys reports.

Health information systems are essential for evidence-based decision-making and must transform to support healthy ageing in rapidly ageing societies. This change requires strengthening of the structures and processes that enable the collection, integration, analysis and use of comprehensive, integrated and person-centred information in health, social and long-term care sectors. Interoperability and governance mechanisms are important to link data and services and ensure coordinated and continuous care for older adults. Health information systems should incorporate ageing-relevant areas such as functional ability, well-being, end-of-life preferences, living environments, informal and formal caregiving, and social determinants of health. Advanced analytics and tools to support decision-making can provide actionable insights to improve the quality of care, evaluate progress and inform the design of age-friendly policies and services. Equally, systems must be user-centred and accessible, adapted to varying levels of digital literacy, and co-designed with older adults and communities. Engaging older adults and communities in the design of health information systems can enhance relevance, equity, trust and uptake. Such systems can support older adults to actively manage their health. Finally, robust ethical and legal frameworks are essential to guide the responsible design, implementation and use of health information systems. These frameworks should safeguard privacy and uphold dignity, particularly concerning sensitive data, informed consent and decision-making capacity in later life.