Table 3.

Key themes emerging from interviews with older ni-Vanuatu as contextual implementation levers for the WHO Regional Action Plan on Healthy Ageing in the Western Pacific (2020).

Theme	WHO regional action plan alignment	Implementation leverage point
Older persons are financially insecure	Objective 1.2: Transform policies across sectors to ensure that policies are age-friendly	•Establish family support, care at home, and mechanisms of financial support to ease pressure on families and facilitate care for older people. •Establish day centers to support and ease pressure on families. •Establish at home support systems for older people and families (e.g., outreach aged care programs, volunteer support programs, meals on wheels).
Perceived physical and mental capabilities influence participation	Objective 1.3: Advocacy to prevent ageism and create a positive culture around ageing Objective 2: Transforming health systems to address each individual's lifelong health needs by providing necessary health and non-health services in a coordinated way	•Establish community-based health and social care interventions that can support functional ability and care pathways for widespread age-associated health conditions and disabilities (e.g., through social prescribing, Integrated Care for Older Peopleb schemes and interventions).
Family and community attitudes towards older persons impact wellbeing	Objective 1.3: Advocacy to prevent ageism and create a positive culture around ageing	•Implement both community- and national-level health promotion programs that highlight the positive contribution that older people make to society. •Consider revision of laws and policies to address ageism and inequality.
Community support for older persons is limited	Objective 1.2: Transform policies across sectors to ensure that policies are age-friendly Objective 3: Providing community-based integrated care for older adults, specifically: -Objective 3.3: Social services and support -Objective 3.4: Coordination (community level)	•Establish community-based integrated care programs involving social prescribing and coordination of community-based services (e.g., link worker/community health worker training programs). •Provide training and support for informal caregivers. •Support implementation of Age-friendly Cities and Communitiesa initiatives to improve the general livability of villages and communities for older people, including improved infrastructure (e.g., transport and the built environment).
COVID-19 challenged health and social vulnerabilities	Objective 2.1: Curative services & care continuity during health emergencies Objective 2.3: Social and welfare services Objective 3.1: Health care & vaccine-preventable conditions Objective 3.4: Coordination (community level)	•Establish community-based integrated care programs involving social prescribing, Age-friendly Cities and Communitiesa initiatives, and coordination of community-based services, befriending services and older people's associations to address social isolation and loneliness. •Ensure state support for vulnerable older people including food banks and delivery of basic services at home. •Establish health communication and promotion channels on COVID-19 vaccination and other vaccines tailored to address concerns and needs of older groups.
Faith and religion provide reassurance and direction	Objective 3: Providing community-based integrated care for older adults, specifically: -Objective 3.2: Long-term care -Objective 3.3: Social services and support -Objective 3.4: Coordination (community level)	•Foster community based integrated care by involving a variety of community groups, religious and spiritual organizations to support older people's wellbeing.

^aWorld Health Organization. (2007). Global age-friendly cities: a guide. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/43755.

^bWorld Health Organization. (2019). Integrated care for older people (ICOPE): Guidance for person-centred assessment and pathways in primary care. World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/rest/bitstreams/1088824/retrieve.