A two‑day workshop by the Health Working Group of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) opened on Tuesday in Dalian City, northeast China's Liaoning Province. Participants exchanged ideas on the Asia-Pacific's aging challenges, new opportunities that digital and smart technologies bring to elderly care, and the importance of brain health.

Participants include official delegates from APEC economies, along with representatives from the WHO, World Bank, UNICEF and the European Brain Council. Senior officials and experts from research institutions and hospitals also took part.

Discussions centered on the region's aging challenges, as the Asia-Pacific is home to the world's largest and fastest‑growing elderly population, as well as the potential of digital and smart technologies to expand and improve elderly care, and the need to bridge the digital divide and ensure inclusive access.

"Digital and smart health technologies are fundamentally reshaping health service models for the elderly, shifting the focus from disease‑centered care to prevention‑oriented, integrated medical‑preventive services, combined medical‑nursing care and life‑cycle health management," said Zhu Hongming, director general of the China National Health Development Research Center (CNHDRC), in his speech.

"By 2050, Asia will have 1.2 billion people aged 60 and above. Cognitive impairments, brain health issues, Alzheimer's disease, and stroke place a heavy burden on individuals' quality of life while also driving up healthcare expenditures and social development costs," said Park Junghwan, chair of the APEC Health Working Group.

Panel sessions during the event explored how primary healthcare systems can better address neurological diseases and how digital solutions can be woven into daily care services.

After the sessions, delegates visited local hospitals and community health centers in Dalian to get a firsthand look at China's integrated approach combining medical care, prevention, education, research and industry, showing how lab‑developed technologies are being rolled out to real‑world community settings.

The event was co‑hosted by the CNHDRC and the China Health Economics Association (CHEA).

(Cover photo via CFP)