WHO launches an innovative package of tools to support person-centred and integrated care for older people
On the International Day of the Older Person (1st October) the World Health Organization (WHO) released a package of tools to support the implementation of the Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) approach.
ICOPE, based on the WHO Framework on integrated people-centred health services, has been developed in the context of populations around the world ageing rapidly. It enables health and long-term care systems-and the services within them-to respond optimally to the unique, varied and often complex needs of older people.
The package of tools includes: the ICOPE Implementation Framework (guidance for policy makers and programme managers to assess and measure the capacity of services and systems to deliver integrated care at the community level); the ICOPE Handbook, which describes practical care pathways to detect declines in intrinsic capacity and develop personalised care plans; and the ICOPE handbook App, which helps implement ICOPE in community care settings.