Abstract: With the global trend of population ageing, the World Health Organization (WHO) has introduced the Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) model, which emphasizes the maintenance of intrinsic capacity as a core and advocates for the development of a person-centred care system through cross-departmental collaboration. Since 2019, Hong Kong Polytechnic University WHO Collaborating Centre (WHO CC) for Community Health Services has been designated to take a leading role in the implementation and research of the ICOPE model in the Western Pacific Region. Progressing from the investigation of the reliability of the ICOPE screening tool to the implementation of the ICOPE model in community, from the adoption of ICOPE in primary healthcare settings to the preliminary trial in long-term care settings, the Hong Kong WHO CC team continues to explore how to support practitioners and policy makers to agree and accept integrated care. This paper provides a comprehensive account of the adaptation of the ICOPE model in Hong Kong, China, critically examines the challenges encountered throughout the process, and discusses future opportunities for development, with the aim of providing evidence for other nations and regions for consideration when implementing ICOPE in the society.

Key words: older adults; integrated care; healthy ageing; opportunity; challenge