Browse Ageing Policies

Building on the National Mental Health Plan of 2007–2016, the Active and Healthy Ageing Action Plan 2023–2026 includes several specific measures and activities to promote the mental health of older people. These include: mental health promotion programmes, cognitive stimulation and mental illness prevention programmes, psychiatric morbidity screenings, preventing violence against and abuse and neglect of older people, psychosocial assessment and reinforcement of psychological well-being at work, promotion of proximity responses in mental health for people over 65 years old, implementation of specific geriatric psychiatry responses in local mental health services, improving the work conditions and training of caregivers with a focus on mental health.

The plan was developed to strengthen preventive and primary mental health services and to improve detection of psychological disorders that intensify in older age through the provision of community-based and holistic mental health services. The plan includes activities to ensure coordination with primary care services, community-based services, social care services. It also aims to develop programmes to strengthen the mental health of older persons with psychological disorders that intensify with age such as anxiety and depression and cognitive disorders directly related to ageing such as dementia, and to customize and strengthen available programmes in accordance with the needs of the individual.

Increasing health literacy and awareness within the theme of World Brain Day – Brain Week (about the brain, its activities, disease prevention associated with knowledge and cognitive tasks), World Alzheimer’s Day (on Alzheimer’s disease, prevention associated with knowledge and cognitive activities), World Mental Health Day (on mental health, healthy lifestyle, reduction of loneliness and social isolation) through campaigns implemented by the Public Health Authority of the Slovak Republic in cooperation with regional public health authorities in the Slovak Republic. Target group for the campaign is the general public and it’s organized by dissemination of information via social network graphics and informational texts, as well as through knowledge and cognitive tasks (Brain week, World Alzheimer’s Day). The metric of people reached/estimated number of people, who saw a post on these topics in their news feed is at least 1x. The results are measured via monitoring the viewing and sharing of posts in the designed Facebook account.

The project, launched in 2024, contributes to a systemic solution in the field of mental health services, strengthening family relationships and intergenerational communication by creating a network of 46 family counselling centres in Slovakia. In the centres, free psychological counselling is provided to individuals, couples and families regardless of age. It is one of the specific tools to support the mental and social health of the Slovak population. The Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic targets this measure to every individual, couple, and family that needs support and help in the face of situations and problems that cannot be solved without professional assistance. In the previous pilot project five centres were created in five cities in Slovakia. In 15 per cent of the cases the psychological help was provided to persons over the age of 55.

The National Helpline in Support of Mental Health was established by the Ministry of Health of the Slovak Republic in July 2021 as a part of the efforts in Slovakia’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (as a part of Component 12, support of mental health). The main aim of the helpline was to alleviate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. The helpline was highly used by senior citizens. Operation of the helpline was extended until May 2023 to help alleviate the impact of war in Ukraine on mental health of the citizens. Services were provided by professionals in the field of mental health, in particular psychologists specializing in clinical psychology and psychiatrists with certification in psychotherapy and crisis intervention (in total 29 professionals).

The Strategy for Active and Healthy Ageing (2024–2030) aims to address the needs of older people by promoting positive attitudes towards them, enhancing their participation in society, and ensuring they receive appropriate support. It seeks to create a supportive environment and improve public perception of older people’s potential. The strategy involves multiple stakeholders, including older persons, their families, care providers, and the broader community. The strategy targets the entire population of older person in Serbia, focusing on improving their quality of life and social inclusion, particularly addressing issues like poverty and access to services. The strategy proposes several measures, including: Conducting outreach campaigns to change public perception and promote intergenerational solidarity. Ensuring accessible public transport and buildings, particularly in rural areas. Offering educational, cultural, and sports programs tailored to older persons. Establishing local community volunteering services. Providing training for healthcare workers, promoting palliative care, and improving healthcare facilities. Overall, the strategy aims to foster a more inclusive society where older persons can actively participate and are valued for their contributions. By focusing on these measures, it seeks to improve the well-being and quality of life for older individuals in Serbia.

The programme gives specific attention to older persons. It acknowledges that currently there is a lack of adequately educated personnel to address the mental health needs of older persons. To address this challenge, among other things, the programme sets out to create a network of centres for mental health where older persons with mental disorders are cared for and treated. It also aims to provide continuous education of experts and society as a whole regarding mental health of older persons to promote autonomy and participation of older persons. The programme also includes the objective to combat stigmas related to age and mental health through dedicated campaigns and public awareness-raising.

The main goal of the programme is to promote health equity by addressing the challenge of inequalities in the healthcare system. It aims to improve access to services and the quality of care, with the overarching objective of achieving more equitable outcomes for the entire population. The Italian Ministry of Health is the Managing Authority and ProMIS is its technical branch; 7 Italian Regions (Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, Puglia, Sardegna, Sicilia) and INMP - The Italian National Institute for Health, Migration and Poverty as Intermediate Organisations; Local Health Authorities, Municipalities and third sector entities as beneficiaries. The policy spans the entire national territory, covering the entire population with a particular emphasis on disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. Its aim is to reduce disparities in healthcare access and services. The policy employs a multidimensional approach, identifying priorities such as access to quality services, reduction of socio-economic and geographical barriers, and promotion of specific interventions for at-risk groups. Implementation involves defining key indicators, such as person-days of external personnel, and supporting Public Administrations through technical assistance projects. Currently, specific data on achieved results are not provided. However, the programme's integrated approach, broad coverage, and focus on vulnerable groups make it an example of best practice in addressing healthcare inequalities.The use of key indicators to assess impact contributes to transparency and programme effectiveness evaluation.

The National Plan of Actions for Mental Health (PANSM) targets the entire population, focusing on specific priority areas to guide regional and local projects. It aims to implement care pathways responsive to current population needs, renewing service organization, integration, work methods, and clinical programs. It is developed by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Interregional Technical Group for Mental Health (GISM) of the Conference of Regions, the document outlines health objectives, actions, actors, criteria, and indicators for assessment and evaluation. The Ministry of Health monitors the plan's regional implementation, involving the Interregional Health Commission. Monitoring includes assessing regional policies, administrative acts, planning documents, recommendations, guidelines, and projects related to mental health. Operational documents stemming from this general strategy aim to enhance the appropriateness and effectiveness of interventions by the Regions. Notably, the plan addresses psychiatric residential care for adults, therapeutic-rehabilitative interventions for neuropsychiatric disorders in children and adolescents, and care pathways for schizophrenia, mood disorders, and severe personality disorders. The plan emphasizes the need for differentiated residential care intensity levels to improve treatments and reduce disparities. It advocates for an approach based on individualized care pathways, renewing service organization, team working methods, and offered clinical programs. The operational documents further provide guidelines for addressing the challenges posed by psychiatric residential facilities for adults, therapeutic interventions for neuropsychiatric disorders in children and adolescents, and care pathways for schizophrenia, mood disorders, and severe personality disorders. The plan has seen implementation in various regions, with notable progress in addressing objectives related to eating disorders, classification of residences for adults and minors, autism, and the criminal circuit. The comprehensive monitoring approach ensures the plan's effectiveness and adaptation to regional contexts.

The guide “When the soul is unwell”, published in its 5th edition in 2019, addresses mental health issues in older age. This guide describes the most common mental illnesses and provides an insight into therapeutic treatment options, especially for older people. The aim is to provide information about mental illnesses and to encourage older people in particular to seek professional help, such as therapeutic support, if necessary. The publication is aimed at older people, relatives and GPs and is produced by BAGSO - Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Seniorenorganisationen in co-operation with the German Psychotherapists' Association. It is one of the most frequent orders of BAGSO's free of charge publications.

The network office supports local dementia networks, which are committed to people with dementia and their relatives, with the exchange of experience, expert impetus and the transfer of know-how. To support the important work of local dementia networks and the formation of new networks, the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth has funded 500 local support networks nationwide in the federal pilot programme ""Local Alliances for People with Dementia"" from 2012 to 2018. They provide orientation in the search for existing local offers, bring actors to the table, coordinate their offers and develop new offers as needed. They offer training for relatives and volunteers, and provide information and advice to make life with dementia easier. In 2020, the federal programme was relaunched as part of the National Dementia Strategy. Until 2026, further Local Alliances are to be established in a total of five funding waves. The network office supports the funded Local Alliances as well as other local dementia networks in their (further) development. It is located at BAGSO - Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft der Seniorenorganisationen and is funded by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. The offers of the network office include: 1) Regional and nationwide conferences, networking meetings and workshops for local dementia networks offer the opportunity to establish contacts, to exchange experiences related to the topic and to receive new professional impulses. 2) Professional support and advice to the projects funded under the new federal programme during the application and funding phase. 3) Examples of good practice, helpful materials and links on the topics of dementia and local networking on its website. 4) Regular newsletter with information about events, publications and interesting facts on the topic of dementia. This measure contributes to protecting the rights of older persons with dementia and their relatives. The federal programme supports local networks who offer help and advice to people with dementia and their relatives. The network office shares good examples, e.g. home visits to evaluate which kind of care and support is needed, public awareness raising campaigns or activities to ensure the inclusion of people with dementia in cultural programmes – all of which contribute to mitigating the impact of dementia and related vulnerabilities.

The National Mental Health Strategy and Suicide Prevention Agenda 2020–2030 emphasize long-term planning and extensive collaboration. It adopts a comprehensive approach to mental health across various societal sectors. Recognizing mental health as a vital resource, the strategy aims to prevent and manage mental disorders while reducing stigma. It highlights the need for mental health services to be on par with other health services. The strategy provides decision-making guidelines and stresses the importance of collaboration. There are five priority areas: mental health as capital, mental health of children and youth, mental health rights, services, and management. Progress will be monitored using both existing and new indicators. Initial objectives include increasing the availability of preventive services and therapies and enhancing cooperation structures. Additional measures focus on improving employment-oriented mental health services, raising mental health competence in municipalities, and enhancing suicide prevention efforts.

The operating model provides tools for identifying, addressing and strengthening factors related to the mental well-being of informal carers. It is intended for informal care client counsellors and professionals encountering informal caregivers. The operating model provides means for bringing up and strengthening mental well-being both in encounters with informal caregivers and, where applicable, in group activities. Even brief encounters with informal caregivers provide an opportunity to discuss mental well-being. The best thing is, of course, to allow plenty of time for discussion. In some situations, the presence of a family member in need of help may affect the discussion. In such cases, it is a good idea to consider how discussion with the informal caregiver could be possible in private. Professionals must have competence in mental well-being and its reinforcement as well as the ability to identify and encounter situations where informal caregivers need more help to look after their own well-being. Plenty of information and concrete instructions and exercises are available on how to strengthen mental well-being. They can be used both in their own work and as tips for informal caregivers.

The objective of the project, carried out between 2021 and 2023 in 14 municipalities of Western and Central Uusimaa as part of the implementation of the National Mental Health Strategy, was to increase the competencies of professionals regarding the mental well-being of older persons and the means to promote it by developing a new operating model. Focus groups with older persons and professionals working in services for older persons were interviewed in the process. Competencies targeted by this new operating model and accompanying guidelines and recommendations included knowledge, practical skills and systematic operating practices. Separate coaching paths were designed for different operating environments (home care, 24-hour care, day activities) expanding participants' mental health competence and know-how. The programme developed and piloted 30 practices to promote mental well-being according to different operating environments. As a result of these practices, strengthening the mental well-being of older persons was integrated into the everyday work of professionals working in services for older persons.

The Maltese National Dementia Strategy 2024-2031, titled ‘Reaching New Heights’, aims to significantly improve the quality of services and the quality of life of persons living with dementia in the Maltese islands. The Strategy builds upon the progress made by the previous strategy and focuses on several key areas, including increasing awareness and understanding of dementia, reducing the risk of developing the condition, enabling early diagnosis, empowering individuals with dementia and their families, developing a dementia-capable workforce, strengthening integrated person-centered care, and advancing dementia research. Specific measures featured in the Strategy include, for example, campaigns to lessen stigma and discrimination associated with dementia, ensuring that day care services for persons with dementia are available and accessible, and increasing the number of beds for persons with dementia in long-term care services. An Inter-Ministerial Committee, led by the Ministry for Active Ageing, will oversee the implementation of the Strategy, involving people with dementia and their families.

The National Dementia Action Plan aims to make Denmark dementia-friendly, provide personalized care, and actively support relatives. The plan focuses on prevention, early intervention, and research to improve the quality of life for people with dementia and their families. The plan was developed through a broad and inclusive process involving the Danish government, local municipalities, citizens with dementia, their relatives, and various experts and professionals. The plan targets people with dementia, their families, healthcare professionals, and local authorities across Denmark. It aims to create dementia-friendly municipalities and improve the quality and consistency of care nationwide. The plan includes three main objectives: 1. Making Denmark dementia-friendly with 98 dementia-friendly municipalities. 2. Ensuring more people with dementia are diagnosed and receive the care they need. 3. Reducing the use of antipsychotic medications by 50% by 2025. The action plan outlines five focus areas: 1. Early detection and better quality in investigation and treatment. 2. Improved quality in care, support, and rehabilitation. 3. Support and advice for relatives. 4. Creating a dementia-friendly society and housing. 5. Increasing knowledge and competence in dementia care. From 2016 to 2023, significant steps have been taken to promote health, prevent dementia, and improve care. The action plan has led to the establishment of dementia-friendly municipalities, improved diagnostic rates, and efforts to reduce antipsychotic medication use. The implementation of these measures aims to reduce geographical disparities and enhance the quality of life for people with dementia.

The COVID-19-related health crisis has highlighted various shortcomings in the care and support of the mental health of older persons, particularly those living in residential care homes. To address these, the Walloon Agency for a Quality Life (Agence Wallonne pour une Vie de Qualité – AVIQ) has hired coordinating psychologists in seven pilot institutions. The latter are responsible for cooperating with the existing psychiatric home care services for older persons (soins psychiatriques pour personnes agées à domicile), developing a mental health network in nursing homes, raising awareness among caregivers in the field by setting up specific and thematic workshops, and working in partnership with the establishment’s coordinating physician. The primary objective is to improve the psychological monitoring of older persons living in residential care homes and to reduce mental health disorders in nursing homes (and care homes). At the same time, the AVIQ also wishes to better equip the teams and promote well-being at work.

In 2020 a concept of an "early warning system" was developed based on the observation of existing data sources at the Public Health Institute Gesundheit Österreich GmbH on behalf of the Austrian Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection. The system draws on various sources including data from psychosocial hotlines, data regarding restraining orders, inpatient data, data regarding involuntary placements, and suicide data. The included data sets are continuously processed and validated and jointly analysed and interpreted. Selected results are published quarterly as factsheets and presented at various national and regional advisory boards and research conferences. The joint analysis of various indicators has made it possible to depict developments in the psychosocial health of the Austrian population, including among older persons, in a timely manner and to identify population groups that are especially affected.

The Austrian Dementia Strategy aims to establish a system that promotes participation, autonomy, and high-quality care for individuals affected by dementia and their families. It seeks to provide timely information, ensure accessibility to support services, and involve individuals in care decisions. The strategy also focuses on enhancing the education and training of professionals in the field. The strategy was developed by the Austrian National Public Health Institute (Gesundheit Österreich GmbH, GÖG), with input from various experts and stakeholders, including persons with dementia and political decision-makers. It is coordinated by GÖG on behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection. The strategy targets people with dementia, their families and friends, healthcare and social services personnel, researchers, educators, funding bodies, ethics commissions, government authorities, media, and the general public. It covers a wide range of stakeholders to ensure comprehensive support for individuals affected by dementia. The strategy outlines seven objectives and 21 recommendations, including promoting participation and self-determination, extending information provision, enhancing knowledge and competence, creating coordinated care frameworks, adapting care structures, expanding low-threshold contact points, and ensuring quality improvement through research. Key actions include developing information concepts, public relations campaigns, training for medical and non-medical staff, and establishing a Dementia Strategy Platform. From 2016 to 2023, around 130 actions were implemented, contributing to health promotion, dementia prevention, and care improvements. A federal working group of people with dementia was established to help design services and reduce stigmatization. Conferences and newsletters have engaged over 750 stakeholders and around 250 recipients, respectively, fostering ongoing collaboration and development of evidence-based measures.

In Austria, the Competence Center Future Health Promotion (Kompetenzzentrum Zukunft Gesundheitsförderung) has developed a proposed model for municipal health promotion for healthy ageing in caring communities to address social challenges posed by demographic change. It comprises six main fields of integrated action: health promotion services and strengthening health literacy, health-promoting living spaces and facilities and businesses, neighbourhood assistance and volunteering, participation and development processes, promotion of civic engagement and care networks, a hub for networking and mediation of services for health promotion; and assessment, data and evaluation for planning and management. These were derived based on an analysis of 21 quality assured projects (for healthy ageing) and a participatory stakeholder consultation to discuss ways to institutionalize the proposed model across Austria to sustainably strengthen coordinated, feasible and evidence-based community health promotion for healthy ageing.