Healthcare promotion urged for Thailand’s ageing society

By Prasit Tangprasert
The Nation

 

 

As the number of elderly people in Thailand continues to rise, Department of Health director-general Dr Panpimol Wipulakorn predicted on Monday that the country would have more than 20.5 million senior citizens by 2040. She therefore instructed all public officials to urgently conduct healthcare promotion to tackle age-induced ailments.

 

Panpimon made her comments while attending a health promotion seminar in the northeastern province of Nakhon Ratchasima, on sustainable promotion of “elderly club” activities nationwide.

 

The campaign has three target groups: those “pre-ageing” people (aged 54-59) who will become elderly in the near future, senior citizens aged over 60 and those who are elderly and housebound.

 

Panpimon said the number of senior citizens in Thailand had risen from 7.5 million in 2010 to 9.7 million in 2014 and the Kingdom was heading towards being an ageing society, in which 20.5 per cent of the population would be over 60 by the year 2040.

 

“Thailand must give priority to health promotion and urgently tackle health issues among senior citizens,” she said. 

 

Panpimon pointed out that about 41 per cent of elderly people currently suffer from high blood pressure, 10 per cent from diabetes and 9 per cent from osteoarthritis of the knees, while only 56.7 per cent of all senior citizens were able to access the healthcare system. 

 

Health promotion campaigns combined with gathering the elderly to do activities together would help them better understand how to take good care of themselves and curb unhealthy habits that put them at risk of ailments, she said.

 

Regional Health Promotion Center 9 director Dr Weerapol Kittipibul said that his office had implemented activities to promote the senior citizens’ good health. For those aged 45-59, for example, the office had arranged activities such as mobile health check-ups, disease-screening schemes and an exercise-promoting project to help them lose weight, he said. 

 

For those over 60 years old, the office had a project called “Mai Lom, Mai Leum, Mai Seumsao, Kin Khao Aroi” (translated as “don’t fall, don’t forget, don’t get depressed but do have a good appetite”) to promote the seniors’ ability to take care of themselves. 

 

For those 11,092 housebound ailing elderly people who required long-term care, the office had also dispatched “care managers” and “caregivers” to rehabilitate them so they are no longer isolated at home but are able to return and enjoy social activities, he added.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30373003

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand  2019-07-15

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The most worrying statistic is that only 56.7 per cent of all senior citizens were able to access the healthcare system. It would have been nice to see her give some importance to getting these people into the system rather than coining a stupid slogan like "don’t fall, don’t forget, don’t get depressed but do have a good appetite".

Care for the aged?

Hmmmm. 

If awareness is being raised about helping the elderly, could someone talk to the Immigration Police to inform them that elderly farang, legally residing here, are people too. And we are getting older. We can’t ‘jump through hoops’ or climb over their obstacles the way we could before. 

Equal respect for old foreigners the country has accepted as residents as that shown to elderly citizens of Thailand would be a good start. 

Nothing new. 

Already Thaksin intended to set up a pension plan for Thai people. 

But I reckon it's more important to increase the pension for soldiers. 

Heil Prayuth

Great article, 

We are one step ahead to help others. this promotion is urged for ageing society. 

It is good.

Well, when we (farangs) marry the Isaan girl, guess who takes care of the elderly parents?  Paid my dues...

On 7/15/2019 at 6:09 PM, snoop1130 said:

Panpimon pointed out that about 41 per cent of elderly people currently suffer from high blood pressure, 10 per cent from diabetes and 9 per cent from osteoarthritis of the knees, while only 56.7 per cent of all senior citizens were able to access the healthcare system.

msg , soy sauce, fish sauce = all wrong kinds of salt, aka high blood pressure risk

 

diabetes : a cha thai a day, will make you have diabetes 2 a day ... did another post not warn about bubble tea and other sugar bombs

 

osteo : drink more will ... the pasteurized milk erodes the bones as there is calcium in it, but it attacks your arteries and the acidity has to be neutralized with your own bones, same as carbonated acid sugar drinks

 

prevention is the key, but there is no big money to be made