Innovation for an Aging Asia—Case Studies from the Healthy Aging Prize for Asian Innovation (HAPI)

Kim Ashizawa and Stephen McHugh
November 2024

The Healthy Aging Prize for Asian Innovation (HAPI) was launched in 2020 to identify innovative policies, programs, services, and products that address the challenges facing aging societies, help extend healthy and meaningful lives, and improve the provision of care to older adults. In its first three rounds, HAPI recognized the work of 28 organizations from ASEAN and East Asia across the three award categories of Community-Based Initiatives, Supporting Self-Reliance, and Technology & Innovation. HAPI winners were drawn from a broad range of sectors, including academia, civil society, the private sector, local governments, and more, and addressed the challenges and opportunities of aging from a diverse range of perspectives. 

This collection of case studies is designed to showcase the innovations that we were fortunate enough to learn about through the award, and to share some of their insights more broadly. The report is divided into five sections covering some of the key themes and trends that emerged as critical issues for aging populations:

  1. Enabling People to Age in Place
  2. Supporting the Social and Emotional Wellbeing of Older People
  3. Medical Innovations for Older People and Caregivers
  4. Supporting People with Dementia and their Caregivers
  5. Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic on Keeping Older People Safe

Featuring nearly two dozen detailed case studies that offer key lessons to be drawn from each innovation, this report is intended to serve as a resource to policymakers, program designers, academics, and others in the aging field as they think about how to address this critical issue.

Those looking to explore some of the organizations recognized by HAPI can also use our Search for Innovative Cases page to pull up cases based on country, topic, or organization type.

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