The newly published second edition of the Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) Handbook from the World Health Organization (WHO) is a resource to support health workers worldwide in creating a continuum of integrated, person-centered, and coordinated care for older adults. The new edition, launched January 29, 2025, is now available for download.

The second edition broadens the care pathway published in the first edition (2019), applying the pathway steps to more settings and to those persons with a greater range of “intrinsic capacities,” which WHO defines as “all the mental and physical capacities that a person can draw on and includes their ability to walk, think, see, hear and remember.” The handbook’s purpose is to further the implementation of the continuum of integrated care at scale in many countries.

The ICOPE approach builds on the idea that the key to supporting healthy ageing is to optimize intrinsic capacities and functional abilities. The expanded ICOPE care pathway begins with basic and in-depth assessments, followed by development of personalized care plans and implementation and monitoring of progress by multidisciplinary teams. Regular reassessments are recommended—to measure compliance to care plans, after acute illnesses, and when social roles or living situations change. The handbook offers a variety of assessment tools plus suggested community-level interventions and healthy lifestyle advice.

Learn more about the ICOPE model and download your handbook today.