Populations across the WHO South-East Asia Region are ageing. Whereas in 2010 older people accounted for 8% of the Region’s population, by 2017 they accounted for 9.8%. This number will continue to rise, with older people expected to make up 13.7% of the population by 2030 – or 289 million people – and a significant 20.3% by 2050. Though the proportion of older people in the Region is projected to remain below global levels, the speed of the Region’s demographic transition is faster.

Nurses are crucial to ensuring all older people can access integrated person-centred health care. Nurses are not only care providers and care coordinators, they are often the first point of contact in managing the health problems of older people and the family members they live with. It is of the utmost importance that nurses are adequately trained in geriatric-specific physical and social care. Although geriatric nursing is included in the pre-service nursing curriculum of many countries, gaps in training remain, particularly with regard to the provision of integrated care. While strengthening geriatric nursing programme in pre-service education, health leaders must also improve and expand in-service training for nurses in care of older people.

This manual is designed to help nurses in the Region provide the integrated care older people need. The manual has 11 modules and is aligned with the ICOPE (Integrated Care for Older People) approach to old age care, which proposes evidence-based recommendations for health care professionals to prevent, slow or reverse declines in the physical and mental capacities of older people.

By adopting and implementing the manual, policymakers and administrators will help ensure nurses in the Region can meet the challenges of today and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow. WHO stands committed to supporting Member States in the Region as together we strive to achieve health for all at all ages