Health and social workers empowered on Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE)

Port Louis. Mauritius achieved another milestone in its quest to improving health and wellness of older people and promoting healthy ageing through training of a core team of trainers from multi-disciplinary background on integrated care for older people (ICOPE). Over the past few decades, Mauritius has been experiencing a rapid ageing of its population. The percentage of people aged 60 years and above was 9% in the year 2000, 18.7% in the year 2021 and the figure is projected to increase to 36.5% in the year 2061.The “oldest, old people”, the population over 80 years, is projected to increase more than twofold by 2061, adding pressure to the health system and requiring adaptation of health services to the specific needs of elders. In June 2022, a national strategy to proactively respond to the health needs of older people, the integrated care for older people (ICOPE) strategy and action plan 2022-2026 was developed with the support of WHO and launched by the Prime Minister in March 2023.The training of a core team of trainers was therefore a step forward in the implementation of this important strategy. “It is the Government’s vision to effortlessly diagnose the health issues of the elderly at an early stage and allow them to live a better life”, said the Health Minister, the Hon. Dr Jagutpal, who also added, “my Ministry will leave no stone unturned to promote better medical assistance and uplift the quality of health care for our elderly persons who have worked very hard and contributed to the development of the country. The training of trainers on ICOPE was conducted by the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW), the Ministry of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity (MSISSNS) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Senior Citizens Council, the largest association of senior citizens in Mauritius; the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Association of Mauritius, and the Club Le Flamboyant (the association of retired workers from the Civil Service) have been involved in the adaptation and dissemination of ICOPE in Mauritius and in this training.

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