Older People's Care in Ukraine: Population Ageing, Long-Term Support and Emerging Needs

For an older person living alone in a Ukrainian village, remaining at home may depend on something as practical as whether a social worker can visit regularly, whether medicines are accessible and whether a neighbour or relative can help during an emergency. In a larger city, the challenge may look different: a person may live close to healthcare facilities but struggle with inaccessible housing, limited income or the absence of family members who have moved elsewhere.

These contrasting circumstances illustrate why older people's care in Ukraine cannot be understood through demographic projections alone. Population ageing, long-standing patterns of family support, territorial differences and the effects of displacement are reshaping the relationship between formal social services and everyday assistance. The wider legal and policy context is explored through the Ukraine Social Care Legislation, Reform and Community Support Knowledge Hub.

Ukraine has an established framework for social services, social protection and publicly financed healthcare, but it does not operate a single comprehensive long-term care insurance system covering every older person's support needs. Responsibility is distributed across national policy, territorial communities, healthcare organisations, social service providers and households.

The central challenge is to develop reliable, appropriate support as needs change. That means understanding not only how many older people may require assistance, but where they live, what support they already receive, whether their homes are suitable and how public services can respond before manageable difficulties become serious losses of independence.

Population Ageing in a Changing Demographic Landscape

Ukraine's demographic circumstances have been shaped by low fertility, population ageing, outward migration and significant changes in population distribution. The full demographic consequences of the war are difficult to establish while displacement continues and population statistics remain subject to uncertainty.

Ageing nevertheless remains an important long-term consideration. Many older Ukrainians live with chronic health conditions, reduced mobility or functional limitations that may gradually increase their need for assistance. Others remain active, provide childcare, participate in local organisations and support younger relatives.

This diversity matters. Age alone does not establish a need for social care, and population projections cannot be translated directly into a fixed number of care places or service hours.

Demand depends on the relationship between health, disability, housing, household composition, informal support and the availability of preventive services. Two people of the same age may have entirely different requirements.

Migration also changes the practical meaning of ageing. Where younger family members have relocated, older relatives may lose assistance with shopping, transport, household maintenance or appointments. In other households, older people provide essential support to displaced relatives or grandchildren.

These circumstances complicate conventional assumptions about dependency. An older person may simultaneously receive help with mobility and provide substantial emotional or practical support to others.

Geographic variation is equally important. A territorial community experiencing substantial population movement may find that historical service demand no longer reflects its current population. A community with a high proportion of older residents may need more home assistance even if its total population is declining.

Planning should therefore distinguish between population ageing, disability-related support needs and the number of people who can access assistance through family or community networks.

For Ukraine, the strongest demographic response is not simply to forecast future residential capacity. It is to develop a clearer understanding of ageing well, independence and community inclusion within the country's changing household and territorial circumstances.

How Ukraine's Older People's Support System Is Organised

Ukraine's Law On Social Services, No. 2671-VIII, provides an important legal foundation for identifying social service needs, organising provision and defining responsibilities. Older people may receive social services according to their circumstances and the relevant eligibility and assessment arrangements.

The Law On the Basic Principles of Social Protection of Labour Veterans and Other Elderly Citizens in Ukraine also forms part of the broader legal framework concerning older people's social protection. Pension provision, social assistance, healthcare and residential services operate through additional legislation and administrative arrangements.

National authorities establish legislation, policy and regulatory requirements. Territorial communities, or hromadas, have important responsibilities for organising local social services within their statutory powers and available resources.

Service delivery may involve communal institutions, territorial centres of social services, centres for the provision of social services and other legally recognised providers. Organisational arrangements vary between communities.

The distinction between different types of support is essential. An older person may receive a pension through the pension system, healthcare through the health system and practical assistance through a social service provider. These arrangements have different purposes, eligibility conditions and financing mechanisms.

There is no assumption that receipt of a pension automatically provides access to a comprehensive package of long-term care.

Similarly, the availability of publicly financed healthcare does not mean that continuous assistance with bathing, dressing, cooking or domestic activities is automatically funded as a healthcare service.

The relevant authorities and providers must therefore establish which needs fall within their responsibilities, how the person can access services and what happens when several forms of support are required simultaneously.

This creates a significant requirement for clear organisational responsibilities and accountability. An older person should not have to navigate every administrative boundary without assistance, particularly when declining mobility or cognitive difficulties make complex applications harder.

Home-Based Care as the Foundation of Everyday Support

For many older Ukrainians, remaining in their own homes is both a practical preference and an important expression of personal identity. Home may provide familiar surroundings, relationships with neighbours and continuity with a community in which the person has lived for decades.

Ukraine's social service framework includes home care, commonly described as догляд вдома, subject to applicable service standards and individual assessment. Home-based support may assist with daily activities, household tasks and other needs within the scope of the relevant service.

The precise assistance available depends on assessed circumstances, the service standard, local provision and applicable funding arrangements. Home care should not be understood as an unlimited entitlement to every form of assistance a person may request.

Operationally, home-based support requires a reliable relationship between the person, the worker and the organisation responsible for delivery.

Visit frequency must reflect actual needs. Someone who requires help obtaining groceries may need a different arrangement from a person who cannot safely manage essential daily activities without regular assistance.

Travel also influences capacity. In a dispersed rural community, workers may spend substantial time moving between households. In urban areas, high demand, apartment access and transport congestion can create different scheduling difficulties.

Service planning must recognise the person's household circumstances. An older person living alone may have fewer informal safeguards than someone living with relatives, although co-residence does not guarantee that family members are available or able to provide appropriate care.

The quality of home support is therefore shaped by both the tasks completed and the continuity of the relationship. Familiar workers may notice changes in mobility, nutrition, mood or household conditions before these become serious problems.

However, observations must lead to appropriate action. A worker identifying deteriorating health cannot substitute for clinical assessment, and a social service provider should not assume medical responsibilities outside its competence.

Good support planning and regular review allow assistance to change when the person's circumstances change, rather than leaving an outdated arrangement in place indefinitely.

For Ukraine, strengthening home-based care offers an opportunity to support independence while making better use of community relationships and local infrastructure. Its success depends on sufficient workforce capacity, realistic travel arrangements and access to other services when needs exceed the scope of ordinary home assistance.

Operational Scenario: An Older Woman Living Alone in a Rural Hromada

A 79-year-old woman lives in a village within a large rural territorial community. Her husband has died, and her adult son now lives abroad. She receives a pension and manages most personal activities independently, but arthritis makes shopping, carrying water and travelling to medical appointments increasingly difficult.

A neighbour helps occasionally, although the arrangement is informal and cannot be relied upon every week. During winter, poor road conditions make access to the nearest town more difficult.

The woman approaches the community's social service organisation after missing several medical appointments. An assessment considers her daily living needs, household circumstances, mobility and available support.

Home-based assistance is identified as appropriate for certain practical activities. However, the community has a limited number of workers covering several villages, and transport time affects how frequently visits can be arranged.

Rather than treating the initial visit schedule as a complete solution, the organisation also examines how she can obtain medicines, maintain contact with healthcare professionals and request assistance when circumstances change.

Her son remains involved by telephone with her agreement, but his residence abroad is not treated as proof that he can provide regular practical care.

Over subsequent months, the social worker notices that the woman is becoming less confident walking outside. The observation is discussed with her, and appropriate healthcare assessment is sought.

The community's service management subsequently reviews similar cases across neighbouring villages. It identifies that travel distances and limited transport options are affecting access for several older residents.

The individual case therefore contributes to a wider operational question: whether existing service routes, transport cooperation or staffing arrangements can be adjusted to improve access without unnecessarily removing people from their homes.

Residential Care and the Changing Role of Institutions

Residential care remains part of Ukraine's support arrangements for older people who require substantial assistance or cannot safely remain in their current living circumstances.

Historically, residential institutions have included facilities serving older people and persons with disabilities, with different organisational and funding arrangements depending on the institution and its administrative responsibility.

These settings may provide accommodation, meals, personal assistance and other support. Some residents have complex health or disability-related needs, while others may have entered residential provision because suitable community alternatives were unavailable.

The distinction matters when considering future service development. Residential care can be appropriate for some individuals, but a placement should not become the default response to poverty, inaccessible housing, family absence or insufficient home-based services.

Ukraine's wider deinstitutionalisation agenda provides a relevant policy context, although the specific national strategy to 2034 concerns the reform of institutional care and upbringing of children and should not be presented as a comprehensive statutory programme for closing older people's residential institutions.

Adult long-term support therefore requires its own careful assessment of service models, resident preferences and feasible community alternatives.

For existing residents, quality depends on more than accommodation and physical safety. Personal dignity, privacy, meaningful activities, communication and relationships outside the institution are important dimensions of wellbeing.

Where people have lived in residential settings for many years, changes should be planned individually. Relocation without appropriate housing, support and healthcare can create new risks rather than improve independence.

The quality and governance of older people's services should therefore consider both institutional standards and whether residents have meaningful opportunities to influence their everyday lives.

The longer-term policy question is how Ukraine can maintain appropriate residential capacity for people who need it while progressively strengthening community support so that institutional placement is not driven by the absence of alternatives.

Family Care, Migration and the Hidden Support Economy

Family relationships have an important place in older people's care in Ukraine. Adult children, spouses, grandchildren and other relatives may provide assistance with shopping, meals, appointments, household maintenance and personal activities. These relationships often provide continuity that formal services cannot reproduce.

Nevertheless, family support should not be confused with an unlimited or universally available care resource. Relatives may have employment responsibilities, disabilities, health conditions or caring commitments of their own. Some live far away, while others have relocated because of insecurity, economic pressures or displacement.

The practical availability of family care can therefore change suddenly. An older person who previously relied on a daughter living nearby may find that the daughter has moved abroad. A spouse providing substantial daily assistance may develop health problems and become unable to continue.

Ukraine has legal provisions concerning social services and certain compensation arrangements for individuals providing care on a non-professional basis, subject to specified conditions. Such arrangements should not be interpreted as a universal payment to every family carer or as a replacement for all formal support.

Eligibility, assessment and the relevant administrative procedures determine whether a particular arrangement applies.

Family caregiving also has an economic dimension. When relatives reduce paid employment to provide care, the consequences may include lower household income, reduced pension accumulation and fewer opportunities for career development. These effects can be particularly significant for women, who frequently undertake substantial unpaid caring responsibilities.

At the same time, families often possess valuable knowledge of the older person's preferences, communication, routines and health history. Effective services should recognise this knowledge without transferring professional responsibilities to relatives by default.

The principle of family partnership and carer support is therefore relevant to both individual wellbeing and service sustainability.

Where an older person wishes relatives to participate in planning, appropriate communication can improve coordination. However, the person's own preferences remain central, and information sharing must respect confidentiality and applicable law.

Future policy development could place greater emphasis on recognising unpaid care within assessments of community demand. This would help territorial communities understand how much assistance households already provide and where that support may become unsustainable.

Financing Long-Term Support and the Limits of Household Resources

The financing of older people's care in Ukraine involves several distinct mechanisms rather than one comprehensive long-term care insurance programme.

State pensions provide income to eligible individuals under the relevant pension legislation. Social assistance arrangements may provide additional support in specified circumstances. Social services are financed through sources permitted by Ukrainian law, including local budgets, while particular services and programmes may involve other public or lawful funding sources.

Healthcare is financed separately through the country's health system, including the Programme of Medical Guarantees administered by the National Health Service of Ukraine for covered services delivered by contracted healthcare providers.

These mechanisms interact in everyday life but do not necessarily finance the same activities.

A pension may contribute towards food, utilities and housing costs without covering extensive private assistance. A healthcare service may provide treatment or rehabilitation but not ongoing domestic support. A territorial community may organise home care within its responsibilities while lacking sufficient capacity for intensive assistance.

Under Ukraine's social services legislation, the conditions for receiving services without payment, with differentiated payment or on a paid basis depend on the applicable legal rules, service category and individual circumstances. It would therefore be inaccurate to describe all social services for older people as universally free.

The practical financial burden may extend beyond formal service charges. Households may incur expenditure on medicines not otherwise covered, transport, household adaptations, additional assistance or accommodation.

For territorial communities, funding decisions involve more than allocating an annual amount to an existing service organisation. Decision-makers need to understand how changes in demand affect staffing, transport, equipment and the intensity of support.

A community with a declining population may still experience rising care expenditure if a larger proportion of residents require regular assistance. Conversely, an increase in the number of older residents does not necessarily produce an equivalent increase in intensive care needs.

Financial planning should therefore connect population information with assessed service demand and realistic delivery costs.

Organisations examining these relationships can use the Digital Twin Scenario Modeller to explore how workforce capacity, demand and service stability interact. This is a general analytical resource, not a model of Ukrainian public finance or an official instrument for calculating social service entitlements.

One important future question is whether financing arrangements can become more responsive to changes in individual need while protecting continuity. A person requiring additional assistance should not necessarily have to wait for an annual planning cycle before the responsible organisation recognises a material change in circumstances.

Healthcare, Chronic Conditions and the Need for Coordinated Support

Older people's support frequently crosses the boundary between healthcare and social services. Chronic conditions, reduced mobility, sensory impairment and cognitive changes may affect everyday functioning, while social circumstances influence whether healthcare advice can be followed.

Ukraine's healthcare reforms established the National Health Service of Ukraine as a central purchaser of services under the Programme of Medical Guarantees. Primary healthcare, hospital treatment and other covered services operate within the applicable healthcare arrangements.

Social services have different functions. They may help a person manage daily activities or remain in their home, but they do not automatically provide medical treatment or replace clinical responsibilities.

This distinction becomes important when an older person returns home after hospital treatment. The clinical decision that inpatient care is no longer required does not establish that the person can safely prepare meals, collect medicines or manage household activities without assistance.

Equally, a person receiving regular home care may develop symptoms requiring medical assessment. Social workers need appropriate procedures for recognising concerns, communicating them and obtaining assistance without attempting to practise outside their role.

The interface between services can be particularly difficult for people living alone. A relative may not be available to arrange transport, explain medical instructions or notice deterioration after discharge.

Coordination therefore needs to be designed around actual tasks and responsibilities. It is insufficient for organisations simply to state that they cooperate.

Relevant arrangements may include communication between the person, primary healthcare provider, rehabilitation professionals and social service organisation, with consent and information protection considered appropriately.

For people experiencing cognitive impairment, continuity and accessible communication become especially important. A person may need additional time, familiar support and clear explanations to participate in decisions.

Ukraine's longer-term opportunity lies in strengthening practical coordination while preserving the distinction between healthcare financing and social service responsibilities. The aim is not necessarily to merge institutions, but to prevent people from experiencing gaps between them.

Operational Scenario: Hospital Discharge and Changing Care Needs

A 76-year-old man living in a regional city is admitted to hospital following a fall. Before admission, he managed independently with occasional assistance from a neighbour. After treatment, his mobility remains reduced, and he is concerned about climbing the stairs to his apartment.

The hospital identifies his clinical needs and recommends appropriate follow-up. However, his discharge arrangements must also account for the practical environment to which he is returning.

His daughter lives in another region and can visit for several days, but cannot provide continuous assistance. The man wishes to return home and is reluctant to consider residential accommodation.

With his agreement, the relevant services examine whether home-based assistance can be arranged, whether rehabilitation is available through the applicable healthcare pathway and whether equipment or changes to the domestic environment could reduce immediate risks.

The assessment identifies that he needs help with shopping and household tasks, alongside further evaluation of his mobility. The service organisation considers the frequency of assistance it can provide and how concerns will be communicated if his condition changes.

His daughter participates in discussions remotely, but the plan does not depend on her providing indefinite daily care.

During the first weeks at home, the man gradually regains confidence. He remains concerned about using the stairs, and this continues to restrict community participation.

A subsequent review therefore examines not only whether essential tasks are being completed, but whether his living environment and available support allow him to leave home safely and maintain relationships.

The case illustrates why discharge outcomes should be evaluated beyond the date of hospital departure. The relevant question is whether healthcare, rehabilitation, housing and social support combine to create a sustainable living arrangement.

Workforce Development Beyond Basic Staffing Numbers

The workforce delivering older people's support in Ukraine includes social workers, social care workers, specialists within social service organisations and healthcare professionals whose responsibilities intersect with social care.

Workforce capacity cannot be assessed solely by counting employees. Geographic distribution, skills, travel requirements, supervision and the complexity of individual needs all influence how much assistance can be delivered.

Home-based services face particular scheduling challenges. Workers may travel between dispersed households, encounter difficult weather conditions or need to respond to unexpected changes in the person's circumstances.

In residential settings, staffing requirements differ because assistance is concentrated within one location and may be needed throughout the day and night.

These different models require different approaches to workforce planning. A staffing arrangement suitable for a residential institution cannot simply be transferred to a community service covering multiple villages.

Training should also reflect the diversity of older people's needs. Workers may encounter reduced mobility, sensory impairment, cognitive changes, social isolation and situations involving potential neglect or exploitation.

Appropriate supervision helps workers distinguish between changes that can be addressed through ordinary support planning and concerns requiring professional assessment or escalation.

The workforce environment has also been affected by migration, displacement and wider economic conditions. These influences can create recruitment and retention difficulties that vary substantially between regions.

In some communities, experienced workers may be difficult to replace. In others, service demand may change more quickly than recruitment arrangements can respond.

Organisations exploring these pressures can use the Predictive Workforce Risk Module to structure analysis of vacancies, turnover and service continuity. It is a general workforce planning resource rather than a Ukrainian employment-law or staffing-standard assessment.

The wider importance of workforce planning lies in connecting staffing decisions with the support people actually require.

A service may report that all funded posts are filled while still being unable to meet demand because travel distances have increased or individuals require more frequent assistance. Conversely, a well-designed service may improve reliability through better coordination without reducing the quality of personal relationships.

Technology can assist with scheduling, communication and records, but it cannot eliminate the need for human support. Digital systems also introduce requirements for training, privacy protection and reliable infrastructure.

Longer-term workforce development should therefore consider professional recognition, supervision, safe employment arrangements and opportunities for workers to develop skills as community support becomes more complex.

Safeguarding, Dignity and the Quality of Older People's Care

Quality in older people's care cannot be established solely through the number of visits delivered, beds available or services recorded as completed. It also depends on whether assistance is safe, respectful, responsive and consistent with the person's preferences.

Older people may face risks relating to neglect, financial exploitation, inappropriate restrictions, social isolation or inadequate responses to changing health needs. These risks can arise in private households, residential institutions and community services.

Ukraine's social service legislation and applicable state standards provide requirements relevant to service organisation and quality. Responsibility for monitoring and oversight must be understood within the country's legal and administrative arrangements rather than assumed to follow a foreign regulatory model.

Providers need to understand their own obligations, while the relevant public authorities require information that distinguishes routine performance from serious concerns.

For an older person receiving home care, a missed visit may have consequences ranging from inconvenience to substantial risk, depending on the assistance required. Service management should therefore consider the significance of the missed support rather than treating every scheduling deviation identically.

Similarly, a residential service may maintain adequate accommodation while failing to recognise a resident's loneliness or lack of meaningful activity. Both physical safety and personal wellbeing require attention.

The role of feedback from people using services is particularly important. Older people should have accessible opportunities to explain what is working, identify concerns and influence changes.

Some individuals may require assistance to communicate their views. Others may be reluctant to complain because they fear losing support or damaging relationships with workers on whom they depend.

Good governance therefore involves more than providing a formal complaints procedure. It requires an organisational culture in which concerns can be raised safely and lead to proportionate action.

Organisations examining service oversight can use the Quality Dashboard Builder to explore how service activity, risks, feedback and outcomes can be presented to decision-makers. Its indicators would need adaptation to Ukrainian service standards and reporting responsibilities.

Operational Scenario: A Community Identifies Growing Unmet Need

A territorial community operates a social service centre providing home-based assistance to older residents. Over two years, the centre notices an increase in requests from people living alone, particularly those whose adult children have relocated.

The organisation has continued to deliver its established services, but staff report that some residents are waiting longer for assessment and that existing service users increasingly require more intensive assistance.

Management initially considers requesting additional workers. Before making a decision, it examines the available information on referrals, assessed needs, visit frequency, travel time and changes in individual circumstances.

The analysis reveals two different pressures. In several villages, workers spend substantial time travelling between households. In the main settlement, a growing number of people require assistance following hospital treatment.

These findings suggest that simply increasing the number of identical staff positions may not address every problem.

The community considers whether service routes can be reorganised, whether cooperation with neighbouring communities could improve access to particular forms of support and whether stronger coordination with healthcare organisations would help identify changing needs earlier.

Older residents and family representatives are invited to describe practical barriers. Their feedback highlights difficulties obtaining transport and uncertainty about how to request additional assistance when circumstances deteriorate.

The resulting service plan distinguishes immediate operational adjustments from proposals requiring additional budget or agreement with other organisations.

Progress is subsequently reviewed through waiting times, the reliability of visits, unmet assessed needs and the experiences of older residents.

The scenario demonstrates how local service information can support decisions about resources and delivery. The central governance achievement is not the production of another report, but the conversion of evidence into changes that residents can experience.

Digital Inclusion, Prevention and the Future Service Model

Ukraine's digital development creates opportunities to improve access to information, administrative processes and communication between organisations. However, older people's ability to benefit from digital services varies according to accessibility, equipment, confidence and connectivity.

Online applications and electronic records may reduce administrative burdens for some individuals while creating new barriers for others. A person without a smartphone, reliable internet connection or sufficient digital confidence should not be excluded from essential support.

Digital systems also need to recognise the difference between recording a service and demonstrating that it has improved someone's circumstances.

A record confirming that a visit occurred provides useful operational information. It does not necessarily establish whether the person feels safer, remains socially connected or can manage everyday activities more independently.

Appropriate digital inclusion and accessible service design can help prevent technology from widening existing inequalities.

Preventive support offers another important opportunity. In older people's care, prevention does not mean that every disability or chronic condition can be avoided. It means identifying practical interventions that may reduce avoidable deterioration, isolation or loss of independence.

Examples include timely mobility support, appropriate rehabilitation, accessible transport, home adaptations and early assistance when household tasks become difficult.

For Ukraine, prevention must be understood within the realities of local infrastructure and available resources. A community may recognise the benefits of accessible transport but lack the funding or vehicles needed to provide it immediately.

Nevertheless, understanding these barriers can improve longer-term planning. Housing improvements, community facilities and transport decisions can influence future demand for intensive support just as significantly as changes within social service organisations.

The development of prevention and early intervention should therefore be connected to broader community planning rather than treated as a separate programme with no relationship to housing or healthcare.

Planning for Future Demand Without Assuming a Single National Model

Ukraine's future older people's care requirements will be shaped by demographic ageing, migration, health needs, economic conditions and the distribution of accessible services. The scale and geographic pattern of demand remain uncertain, making flexible planning particularly important.

National policy can establish expectations, support service development and strengthen the evidence available for decisions. Territorial communities must translate these expectations into arrangements appropriate to their populations and resources.

A densely populated urban community may prioritise coordination between home care, healthcare and accessible housing. A rural community may place greater emphasis on transport, outreach and the sustainability of a small workforce.

Neither approach is inherently superior. The appropriate service configuration depends on local circumstances and the needs of residents.

Longer-term planning would benefit from a clearer distinction between four forms of demand:

• People currently receiving appropriate support whose needs are likely to change.
• People assessed as requiring services who are waiting for provision.
• People with significant needs who have not approached formal services.
• People whose independence could be strengthened through earlier, less intensive assistance.

These groups require different responses. Increasing residential capacity may help some individuals but do little for those whose principal difficulty is inaccessible transport or limited household assistance.

International experience suggests that sustainable long-term support systems require a balance between residential provision, home-based services, community infrastructure and family support. The precise balance cannot be prescribed independently of Ukraine's legislation, financing arrangements and territorial circumstances.

The transferable lesson is the importance of connecting demographic intelligence with service design. Population ageing becomes an operational challenge when it changes the volume, location or intensity of assistance that people need.

Ukraine has an opportunity to strengthen this connection as its social service system continues to develop. More consistent information about access, workforce capacity, individual outcomes and unmet needs could support decisions at both national and community levels.

Conclusion

Older people's care in Ukraine is entering a period in which demographic change, household circumstances and territorial inequality will increasingly influence the support people require. The challenge is not simply to accommodate a larger older population, but to develop services capable of responding to diverse and changing needs.

Ukraine already has legal and administrative foundations for social services, alongside separate arrangements for pensions, social protection and healthcare. The effectiveness of long-term support depends on how these responsibilities operate together in everyday circumstances.

Home-based assistance can help older people maintain familiar relationships and remain in their communities. Residential provision continues to have a role where appropriate, but its availability should not substitute for developing viable community alternatives. Families remain important partners, although unpaid care cannot be treated as an unlimited resource.

Workforce capacity, accessible housing, transport and reliable healthcare coordination are equally significant. Without these supporting conditions, formal service arrangements may offer less practical assistance than their descriptions suggest.

The strongest forward direction lies in improving the connection between assessed needs, available resources and the experiences of older people themselves. Territorial communities need evidence that reveals unmet demand, supports realistic financial decisions and enables services to adapt as circumstances change.

For Ukraine, a sustainable approach to population ageing will be measured not only by the number of services established, but by whether older people can obtain appropriate assistance, preserve meaningful relationships and maintain dignity and independence for as long as their circumstances allow.