Beyond Care Delivery: CHWs as the Connectors of Healthy Ageing and Longevity

By: Roxana Badiei, International Federation on Ageing (IFA)

As populations age, health systems around the world are facing a common challenge: how do we support people not only to live longer, but to live healthier, more independent, and more connected lives?

The answer does not lie within healthcare systems alone.

Healthy ageing is shaped every day by where people live, the support they receive, the information they trust, and their ability to navigate increasingly complex health and social care systems.(1,2) For many older adults, these everyday experiences determine whether disease is prevented, chronic conditions are well-managed, and independence is maintained.

This is where community health workers (CHWs) make an extraordinary difference.

Often recognised for expanding access to healthcare, CHWs play a much broader role. They are trusted members of their communities who help older adults understand health information, navigate services, identify barriers to care, strengthen prevention, and connect health and social support.(3–5) They bridge the gap between policy and practice, between services and communities, and between knowing what should happen and making it happen.

As health systems continue to evolve, CHWs should be recognised not only as service providers – but also as trusted connectors who strengthen prevention, improve access, and help translate healthy ageing from policy into practice.

Healthy ageing happens in communities
Independence, mobility, confidence, and purpose are all shaped by factors beyond healthcare alone – including housing, urban infrastructure, transport, climate and environmental conditions, income, digital inclusion, nutrition, and social connectedness.(1,6)

These broader determinants shape functional ability, social participation, and how people experience health throughout later life. A decline in mobility can limit access to health services, participation in community life, and the ability to maintain independence.(6) Changes in cognition or mental well-being may make it more difficult to keep appointments or remain engaged in community activities without appropriate support.(7,8) An older adult may miss a vaccination appointment because transportation is unavailable.(9) Someone living with chronic pain may stop participating in community activities because they believe pain is simply part of getting older.(10) A gradual decline in hearing or vision may reduce confidence to leave home.(11,12) Digital health technologies may create new opportunities, yet remain inaccessible without support to use them.(13)

These challenges rarely occur in isolation.

Community health workers are uniquely positioned to understand these realities because they work alongside older adults where they live. Their strength lies not only in what they know, but in the trusted relationships they build, enabling them to identify barriers, provide practical support, and connect people with the services they need before small challenges become larger ones.

“The primary challenge… is that there are disconnected efforts taking place across the world, and we need to do a better job bringing them together.” – Respondent, IFA Multi-sectoral Engagement in Healthy Ageing Survey

This reflects what IFA continues to hear across its work on healthy ageing and longevity. Whether discussing adult immunization, noncommunicable diseases, pain management, brain and sensory health, integrated care, or longevity readiness, one message consistently emerges: healthier aging depends on stronger connections between people, communities, health systems, and the many sectors that influence health throughout the life course.

Community health workers make these connections possible by supporting health promotion, strengthening health literacy, facilitating timely access to care, and helping older adults navigate health and social care systems.

Case Example 1 – Adult Immunization
Through IFA’s work on life-course immunization – including Vaccines4Life and strengthening adult immunization policy through National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAGs)(14,15) – one message has remained consistent: increasing vaccine uptake requires more than vaccine availability. It also requires awareness, confidence, equitable access, political momentum, and trusted communication.(14–16)

Across country policy dialogues and partnerships, trusted community engagement continues to emerge as one of the strongest enablers of equitable vaccine access, particularly among older adults living with chronic conditions or in underserved communities.(16) 

Community health workers are a bridge between national policy recommendations and informed decision-making at the community level. They can help explain recommended vaccines, answer questions, address practical barriers to access, and encourage older adults to discuss vaccination with their healthcare providers. 

In doing so, they help translate national recommendations into trusted conversations that support informed decision-making, strengthen confidence, and improve equitable access to vaccination.

Case Example 2 – Pain Management
One of the strongest messages emerging from IFA’s work is that healthy ageing cannot be addressed through isolated interventions.

“Pain management is a cross-cutting systems issue that intersects with health, social protection, workforce participation, and care sustainability.” – IFA Expert Meeting: Pain Management in Later Life: Aligning Evidence, Policy and Action

Following an analysis of access to pain management for older adults, IFA’s international expert meeting on Pain Management in Later Life highlighted that pain in older adults is often overlooked, under-recognised, or accepted as an inevitable consequence of ageing. Improving outcomes requires earlier conversations, multidisciplinary collaboration, stronger community awareness, and better coordination across health and social care.(10)

Pain is often first experienced – and discussed – in communities rather than clinics. This creates an important opportunity for CHWs to recognise concerns early, encourage help-seeking, reinforce self-management, and connect older adults with appropriate services before pain leads to avoidable declines in function, independence, and quality of life.

Case Example 3 – Noncommunicable diseases and chronic conditions 
Similar lessons have emerged through IFA’s work on noncommunicable diseases and chronic conditions. Delays in identifying and managing conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or dementia can increase the risk of complications and functional decline, reinforcing the importance of prevention, early intervention, and coordinated care throughout later life.(17) 

Community health workers can reinforce healthy behaviours, support self-management, identify emerging concerns early, and connect older adults with appropriate health and social services. By strengthening continuity of care, CHWs can reduce delays in care and help preserve independence throughout later life.

Strengthening community-centered health systems
Health systems are becoming increasingly complex. Older adults often interact with family physicians, specialists, pharmacists, nurses, social workers, home care providers, community organizations, and caregivers.(18) Navigating these services can be challenging, particularly for people living with multiple chronic conditions or experiencing social disadvantage.

Community health workers help connect these pieces together. By working across sectors and alongside multidisciplinary teams, CHWs strengthen continuity of care, improve coordination, and support more person-centered approaches to healthy ageing.

“Community-based models: Leveraging community health workers, volunteers, and local organisations can deliver affordable, person-centered care.” — Respondent, IFA Multi-sectoral Engagement in Healthy Ageing Survey

As health systems increasingly shift towards prevention, integrated care, and supporting people to age well in their communities, the role of CHWs will become even more important. 

Investing in CHWs is an investment in stronger communities, stronger prevention, more integrated health and social care, and more resilient health systems. Ultimately, supporting CHWs means supporting healthier aging by ensuring that older adults can access the right information, services, and support at the right time and in the right place.

About IFA: The International Federation on Ageing (IFA) is a global civil society organisation dedicated to driving intersectoral collaboration on healthy ageing and longevity. With formal relations with the United Nations and the World Health Organization, and deep roots in civil society, the IFA acts as a trusted convener, connector and knowledge broker to bring together diverse actors to shape policies, narratives and systems that enable people to age with health, dignity and choice. This systems-based approach also underpins IFA’s work exploring the role of community health workers as connectors across health, social, and community systems to support healthy ageing and longevity.

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This is the third feature in CHW Central’s 2026 series on CHWs Supporting Older Adults, which brings together perspectives from different regions of the world on the growing role of Community Health Workers in supporting older adults. As the series continues through 2026, we invite you to explore the different perspectives being shared from research, policy, and practice. If you missed our earlier features, you can also read What Community Health Workers Make Possible in Supporting Older Adults by Prof. Arkers Wong, which examines the role of CHWs in Hong Kong, China, and How CHWs Can Help Close Social Care Gaps for Older Adults by Amanda Keddington, which explores opportunities to strengthen care for older adults in the United States.

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References

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