Population aging is reshaping societies and national institutions, compelling us to re-examine the affordability of health care, and existing boundaries between health care and social care services.

Traditional health care and social care systems tend to operate in isolation, with separate funding streams, management structures, and professional cultures. This division creates significant barriers to coordination, making it difficult to deliver seamless, person-centred care for older people. However, current integrated care models have their own challenges. They often struggle to secure sustainable funding, as existing national insurance mechanisms and reimbursement schemes are designed for isolated services rather than collaborative, cross-sector approaches. Transitioning to integrated care also calls for a workforce that is skilled in interdisciplinary collaboration. Many professionals are trained within their own domains, leading to cultural and operational divides. Effective integrated care requires new training programmes, shared protocols, and a cultural shift among professionals.

As technology advances, we must consider how a robust information system and technology infrastructure could support the success of novel integrated care models for older people. Addressing issues of inter-operability, data security and privacy will be essential to creating shared digital environments that facilitate inter-agency communication and coordinated care.

These challenges underscore how integrated care, in the context of aging populations and shrinking national budgets, demands changes in organisational structures, policy frameworks, workforce training, and technology. This session will explore how health systems can be reimagined to foster a seamless continuum of care that addresses not only clinical needs, but also the social determinants of health pivotal to healthy aging.

The relationship between social care and health systems will be examined along with strategies to ensure that communities are better equipped to support preventive initiatives, empower self-management, and nurture environments conducive to healthy aging. Policymakers, practitioners and researchers will gain insights into reform and innovation needed for resilient, adaptable systems that meet the needs of aging populations within a challenging fiscal landscape.

The Panel will address questions like:

How can we

– reimagine health and social care towards a continuum of care that supports healthy ageing?

– learn from countries leading the way on health and social care for older people?

– create funding which encourages collaborative, cross-sector approaches to health and social care for older people?

– move towards a future workforce with the skills to provide health and social care to older people?

– exert influence to ensure technology is a help not a hindrance to co-ordinated health and social care for older people?

– address both clinical and social determinants of health in support of healthy ageing?

– reduce unequal access to both health and social care for older people within societies?