Long-Term Care as a Global Challenge: The Role of the World Health Organization

Long-term care is today one of the most pressing issues in public policy. Its relevance is increasing everywhere but mostly, due to population aging, in low- and middle-income countries. Despite the advances in the past decades regarding the implementation of long-term care systems in several countries, the COVID-19 pandemic showed their fragility and called to rethink long-term care around the world. Issues like quality, workforce shortages, and financial sustainability are key in countries with systems in place and for those who are embarked in the task of designing and establishing a long-term care system in the future. The World Health Organization has published a series of documents to help countries in creating these systems; although these initiatives are useful-as well as examples from countries with systems in place-low- and middle-income countries need to find their own way to address the increasing demand for long-term care services.