Welcome message
Welcome and thank you for contributing to this World Health Organization (WHO) survey on quality health services for older people and unpaid carers’ experiences of health services.
Your responses will help inform the development of global standards for quality health and care services for older people.
Introduction
People are living longer around the world. That means the health services we rely on later in life matter more than ever. These services include, for example, regular visits to your family doctor, getting medications at the pharmacy, specialized care at a hospital, and care and support at home for daily life (e.g. long-term care).
The World Health Organization is working with countries to set new international standards for these services to respond to diverse needs of older people. The goal is to make them better, safer, and more respectful, in alignment with your goals, values and preferences.
To do this well, we first need to hear from the people who use these services every day.
We know that caring for someone you love can be deeply meaningful, but it can also be exhausting, isolating, and emotionally, physically and financially demanding. Many carers carry a heavy load — often invisible — while managing their own health, work, and family life. Your voice is essential here. Even if you have only a few minutes, sharing part of your experience will help make sure you as a carer are seen, heard, and better supported in the future.
Your experience of health services matters to us.
We want to hear about your reality as an unpaid carer — what has worked, what has been difficult, and what you wish were different when experiencing health services.
What this survey is about
We want to understand how older people and their unpaid carers experience health services — including the challenges you have faced, the support you have (or have not) received, and what you believe should be improved. Your answers will help inform future international standards for high-quality health services for older people, so that they are guided by the priorities of those directly affected.
We warmly invite you to answer as many questions as you feel able to. There are no right or wrong answers.
Who can take part
To be eligible, you must meet both of the following:
You are an unpaid carer aged 18 and older (family member, friend, or community member who currently provides care, or has provided care within the past 12 months, to a person aged 60 or older, without monetary compensation)
AND
The person you provide unpaid care to has used health services at least once in the past 12 months — for example, a visit to a clinic, hospital, day care centre.
If you would like, you may ask someone you trust, such as your family, friend, community member, or health and care workers, to help you complete the survey.
Your participation
Participation is voluntary. To participate, you must be able to understand the survey information and complete the questionnaire in one of the available languages.
You may withdraw from the survey at any time before submitting your responses, without providing a reason. Your responses are collected anonymously and treated confidentially.
Because we do not collect information that can identify you (e.g. name, surname, email address), we cannot retrieve your responses after you submit them. This means we cannot remove your responses once the survey has been submitted.
By submitting the survey, you confirm that you have read and understood the information provided above and voluntarily consent to participate in this survey and to the collection and processing of your data for the purposes described.
If you are completing this questionnaire on behalf of an unpaid carer, you must respect their privacy and keep their personal information and responses confidential.
If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact Dr Yuka Sumi, a medical officer at the World Health Organization via email: sumiy@who.int.
Questions marked with an asterisk (*) are mandatory and must be answered to proceed. For all other questions, we encourage you to answer as completely and accurately as possible. If you leave one of these questions unanswered, a reminder will appear when you click “Next” or “Submit”; however, you may choose to continue without answering. Your responses to all parts of the survey are important to help us understand the needs, experiences, and perspectives of unpaid carers and older people regarding health and care services across different settings.
The survey should take approximately 30 to 35 minutes to complete.
Thank you, sincerely, for the time and trust you are giving us.
