The reach of the coronavirus (COVID-19) stretches around the world and has spared no country. During the crisis, the team at AARP International has seen many countries and communities respond with creative or noteworthy approaches to improve the health and economic wellbeing of their people.
We believe there is value to sharing creative ideas and practices in one place so our global community can consider, learn and potentially implement some of them.
Although we cannot recommend any of these approaches as validated “best practices,” we invite you to send us innovative approaches from other countries and communities that might be worthy of sharing. Please share official resources, as well as auspicious anecdotal approaches taking place around the world that may be promising (with links to sources, please). We are particularly interested in ideas and practices to support and empower older adults and their families.
Please notify us of additional resource pages here. We look forward to hearing from you!
Innovative Responses from Around the World
For Older People and Their Families
A collection of official COVID-19 resource pages
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"Japan has recorded 1,225 deaths from covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, compared with about 180,000 in the United States. In Japan, 14 percent of the deaths have been in elder-care facilities. That is compared with more than 40 percent in the United States, despite a lower proportion of U.S. seniors living in nursing homes." Read full article from the Washington Post. August 30, 2020
With older adults and care workers in long term care facilities disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, AARP Chief Public Policy Officer Debra Whitman highlights what actions we must take now to prevent further spread and improve the system for future generations. Read full World Economic Forum blog. August 25, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for help, and volunteers of all ages have answered the call to service. Volunteering allows people to serve their communities, while also improving their skills, health, and even longevity. Read full AARP Thinking Policy blog by Joo Yeoun Suh and Erwin Tan. August 3, 2020
This policy brief provides 11 policy objectives and key action points to prevent and manage COVID-19 across long-term care. Read full policy brief by WHO. July 24, 2020.
After weeks of lockdown, many countries are considering how to start easing the restrictions they put in place to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Each country is likely to take its own approach to that opening, but a review of how different countries have handled the outbreak offers ways to assess how prepared those countries are to end their lockdowns. Read full article from Business Insider. May 12, 2020
"...despite sharing a border with Brazil, the country second-worst-hit by COVID-19, this small nation is managing to successfully combat a virus that has brought global giants to their knees." Read full article by Foreign Policy. July 21, 2020.
AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres discuss COVID-19 and its global impact on older populations.
COVID-19 is exposing ageism: discrimination on the basis of a person’s age. As we grow older our lives DO NOT become disposable. COVID-19 is no excuse for ageism. Nothing is. Share this video by HelpAge International