Long-term Care Access, Experiences, and Interventions for Older Persons in Southeast Asia: A Systematic Mapping Review of Current Evidence

A consolidated view of the evidence on long-term care (LTC) across ASEAN Member States (AMS) remains limited despite rapid population ageing. This review systematically maps the evidence on access to, responsiveness of, and interventions for LTC for older persons across the AMS. It includes 173 peer-reviewed publications from nine AMS published between 2005 and 2025. The evidence is concentrated in Singapore (37.0%) and Thailand (27.2%), with healthcare and institutional settings dominating the literature. The review shows that older persons face multifaceted barriers across seven dimensions of access, particularly widespread workforce shortages, hospital-centric models of care, geographical and socio-economic inequities, and high out-of-pocket costs. Health system responsiveness to older persons' needs and legitimate expectations is constrained, especially with respect to autonomy, dignity, and prompt attention, reflecting entrenched institutional and social norms. Informal care remains central to LTC across the region but is largely unrecognised and heavily dependent on women, who shoulder substantial physical, psychological, and socio-economic burdens with minimal formal support. Interventions are predominantly pilot initiatives, focus mainly on individual-level outcomes, and pay limited attention to broader health system performance and responsiveness. The review highlights the need to strengthen ASEAN-wide and national multidisciplinary knowledge and learning ecosystems to expand the evidence base and support more effective, equitable, and responsive health and social care for older persons.