Silver Healing: Equitable Community Wound Care
Summary
In 2025, MEBO International committed to launching a community-based initiative to improve chronic wound care for more than 10,000 elderly individuals in28 Asia-Pacific, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and Gulf Cooperation Council countries. This initiative aims to address the growing prevalence of chronic wounds in older adults by strengthening frontline health care capacity, support families, and foster sustainable community engagement.The program includes four key components: training health care professionals as certified wound therapists; educating elders and caregivers on wound prevention and treatment; hosting community events with free consultations and educational materials; and donating essential medical supplies, including MEBO regenerative products and financial aid for disadvantaged elders. By improving access to regenerative medical care and redistributing health care resources, MEBO seeks to advance equitable elder care and enhance chronic wound management in low- and middle-income countries.
Approach
MEBO International commits to launching a community-based action to address chronic wound care for elderly populations across 28 countries in the Asia-Pacific, ASEAN, and GCC regions, aiming to reach and support over 10,000 elders suffering from chronic wounds. This approach focuses on empowering local healthcare systems by strengthening frontline capacity, supporting families, and fostering sustainable community engagement.
The commitment will be delivered through four integrated components: 1) training community healthcare professionals to become certified wound therapists; 2) educating elderly individuals and their caregivers on the prevention and treatment of chronic wounds; 3) organizing community events such as free clinical consultations and distribution of chronic wound care brochures; and 4) donating essential medical supplies—including first-aid kits, MEBO products, and financial support to disadvantaged elders.
MEBO will contribute its regenerative medical technology, expertise in wound healing, and established regional networks to design and deliver training programs rooted in regenerative life science. These programs will equip community healthcare professionals with standardized knowledge and practical skills in chronic wound management, enabling them to provide home-based wound care with greater professionalism and better accessibility in communities. With recognized certification, these healthcare professionals will be better integrated into local health systems, expanding access to quality care for bed bound elders and reducing reliance on overburdened tertiary hospitals.
In parallel, MEBO will organize community events in collaboration with local clinics, hospitals, volunteers, and government agencies, to build a collaborative ecosystem in chronic wound management and long-term care. These events will equip families with basic caregiving knowledge, promote a cultural shift toward valuing community-level elder care, raise public awareness and preparedness for aging societies, and foster more inclusive and sustainable healthcare systems.
Through this commitment, MEBO aims to advance equitable elder care by strengthening the human, institutional, and social foundations of community-level chronic wound management, and improving the distribution of healthcare resources in low- and middle-income countries and disadvantaged communities.
Action Plan
This Commitment to Action will be implemented over three years, through a phased regional rollout guided by MEBO’s existing networks and aligned with global aging trends and international cooperation platforms.
Implementation will begin in the Republic of Korea in late 2025, in parallel with MEBO’s engagement in APEC 2025’s Economic Leaders’ Week and APEC CEO Summit. As Korea is the host economy for APEC 2025, this launch will highlight the commitment to regional partners and promote future collaborations across Asia-Pacific.
In 2026, activities will expand first to Southeast Asian countries, where MEBO has established local partnerships and where the United Nations identifies as the world’s fastest growing region with aging populations (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2019) . In the second half of the year, China will become a major focus. As MEBO’s country of origin and home to its longest-standing partnership networks, China provides a unique opportunity to deepen the initiative’s impact in collaboration with Chinese hospitals, medical schools, and local governments, implementing a comprehensive model of training, education, and community outreach, coinciding with the country’s role as APEC 2026 host. Meanwhile, rollout will be to selected Latin American economies, building on connections developed during APEC 2024 in Peru.
In 2027, the program will move into GCC countries in the first half, through implementation support from Gulf Pharmaceutical Industries -Julphar, the region’s leading healthcare company. In North America, where MEBO operates its second headquarters and maintains strong academic and healthcare partnerships, efforts will focus on community events and public education.
Remaining regions—including Australia, New Zealand, and others—will be engaged in 2028 as partnerships mature.
Throughout the full term, MEBO will lead implementation with support from academic, business and health sector partners, and deliver quarterly evaluations to monitor progress and inform adaptive implementation.
Background
The rapidly aging global population has presented urgent healthcare challenges, including the rising prevalence of chronic wounds among older adults which threatens health outcomes and places increasing strain on community healthcare systems.
According to the 2019 revision of UN World Population Prospects, the proportion of individuals aged 65 years or above is projected to increase from 9% (about 700 million) in 2019 to roughly 16% (1.6 billion) by 2050 (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2019) . Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) economies, along with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, face some of the most rapid aging trends. From 2019 to 2050 the 65+ population will rise from 260 million to 574 million in Eastern Asia; and from 59 million to 128 million in South-Eastern Asia (ASEAN) . Meanwhile among APEC members in America, it is projected to double from 104 million to over 188 million. Similarly, the GCC’s 65+ share will increase from 5.5% (3.1 million) to 12.5% (9.4 million) by 2050.
Concurrently, chronic wounds are an escalating concern: pressure ulcer cases are expected to rise from 0.85 million in 2019 to 1.8 million by 2050, with prevalence among hospitalized or institutionalized adults aged 65+ often exceeding 10% (Zhang et al., 2021) . Globally, about 8.5 million elders aged 65+ live with active diabetic foot ulcers, with even higher risks in the GCC due to diabetes rates above 15% (International Diabetes Federation, 2019, 2020, 2024; Al-Rubeaan et al., 2015; El Bcheraoui et al., 2014) .
Rapid aging, rising noncommunicable disease burdens, and limited access to community-level healthcare make these regions priority areas for addressing chronic wounds in older adults. This Commitment to Action will respond to these challenges by advancing community-based solutions to strengthen chronic wound care capacities and promote equitable access to elder healthcare resources in the APEC-ASEAN-GCC regions.
Progress Update
Partnership Opportunities
To support the successful implementation and scaling of this Commitment to Action, MEBO seeks additional partners across the APEC, ASEAN, and GCC regions—particularly at the community level.
Over the three-year implementation period, MEBO aims to collaborate with local elder care facilities, clinics, NGOs, and volunteer organizations to expand outreach and service delivery in underserved regions and communities. These partners will play a vital role in hosting wound care training sessions, coordinating educational activities and community events, and supporting home-based care.
MEBO also welcomes collaboration with regional media outlets to promote understanding of chronic wound care and raise public awareness about population aging. These partnerships are essential to building long-term community resilience and driving inclusive healthcare transformation.
By joining efforts with aligned organizations and networks, MEBO hopes to expand the reach of this commitment and ensure its relevance and sustainability across diverse health systems.,As part of this Commitment to Action, MEBO offers its regenerative medical technology, clinically proven wound care products, and a strong ecosystem of regional partners as resources to support potential collaborators across the CGI community.
MEBO will utilize its expertise in regenerative life science and chronic wound management through structured training programs for community healthcare professionals, developed in collaboration with academic and medical societies such as International Society of Regenerative Medicine and Wound Repair (ISRMWR) , International Society for Burn Injuries (ISBI) , and American Burn Association (ABA) .
In addition, MEBO’s extensive networks with pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, local governments, and medical institutions across APEC, ASEAN, and GCC regions serve as a platform for scaling elder care innovations and facilitating multi-sector partnerships.
By contributing these assets, MEBO aims to catalyze community-based cooperation, improve healthcare resource distribution, and advance inclusive public health solutions for aging populations globally.