Editorial: Innovations in Older Adult Care and Health Service Management: a focus on the Asia Pacific Region

Population ageing in the Asia-Pacific Region is a significant challenge for the 21 st century.With countries in the Asia-Pacific aging faster than any region in the world, demographic transition and challenges associated with it have grown to utmost social, political, healthcare, and economic significance. This special issue has featured original research articles (n=12), short reports (n=1) and perspectives (n=1) from nine countries in the region (Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam). Commissioned in July 2022, we began with a unique process of involving country leads across the region in the promotion of the special issue and aimed at improving social impact through the rapid dissemination of research findings. Over the last 18 months, the special issue has generated 14,913 views and 3,850 article downloads. We included research on innovative models such as the intergenerational self-help clubs (Vietnam), artificial intelligence based smart care (Republic of Korea) and infection control training programs during COVID19 (Australia). The special issue also included studies that examined role of stigma towards older adults with COVID-19 (Bangladesh), cost benefits of home-based models (China) and the role of United Nations Healthy Ageing agenda (India). The dominant themes emerging from the collection mainly included: (i) service redesign, (ii) training for providers, (iii) shift to community/home-based care, and (iv) adapting successful global frameworks/instruments. Overall, it was particularly noteworthy to observe that several countries are thoughtfully assessing and evolving their unique and culturally rich traditional systems of elderly care to addressing contemporary needs and expectations.