Thai Govt Must Face Up To Coming Society Of Elders

[webfact]

Govt must face up to coming society of elders

By The Nation

Thailand is becoming a society of the elderly - their numbers will increase to 20 million in the next 40 years - and academics have called on political parties to issue elderly-friendly policies for the coming election to improve their quality of life.

To date, only 12 of 40 political parties have issued policies for the elderly, and they focus mainly on monthly allowances that will be provided for them.

"Elderly people need economic and social security not just money," College of Population Studies ' dean, Associate Professor Viphan Prachubmoh said.

Speaking at a seminar on the "difficulties of social welfare policies for elderly people" - organised by Thai Universities for Healthy Public Policy - she said political parties should come up with concrete policies to deal with the coming challenges of an ageing population in coming decades.

Social welfare and health issues for elderly people must be established as a national agenda - such as the HIV/Aids issue - which every government needs to implement, she added.

Political parties must issue policies to support elderly people not able to take care of themselves. Also needed is a longterm care policy for the elderly, especially those over 80 years.

As elderly people are the most at risk of getting into poverty during a recession, political parties should issue policies to implement the pension fund, encouraging elderly to save money for their comfortable retirement.

At present, Thailand has seven million elderly people but only 15 percent have saved money for retirement and some 30 percent have no insurance.

" Thailand still does not prepare itself for the coming ageing society, especially tax structural adjustment and social welfare funding, to look after elderly people in future," she said.

Sakon Waranyuwattana, an economics lecturer at Thammasat University, said local authority organisations should play a major role in providing public services that are friendly for elderly people.

To date, he said, such organisations still do not give their priorities to elderly friendly policies.

"It would be better if local authority organisations could invest a lot [more] budget to improve quality of life of elderly people instead of building infrastructure," he said.

"But now governments and local authorities are still throwing stuff over the fence at each other," he added.

-- The Nation 2011-06-22

[geriatrickid]

Finally. Not a word though on elder abuse. They are going to have to deal with it sooner or later. Some of the elderly are poorly treated by their kids, despite all the stories one hears to the contrary of reverence etc.

[rotary]

Well too much Govt "helping" is not the answer. The USA is proving that with the mess they have made. Really the USA social security scheme is just a large PONZI operation that is illegal for private firms to do but legal for the govt to run. there has to be a better solution than that. I hope Thailand does not use this bad example.

[rotary]

Well too much Govt "helping" is not the answer. The USA is proving that with the mess they have made. Really the USA social security scheme is just a large PONZI operation that is illegal for private firms to do but legal for the govt to run. There has to be a better solution than that. I hope Thailand does not use this bad example.

Edited June 22, 2011 by rotary

[geriatrickid]

Government is what will decide on the future funding of medical facilities. Thailand has almost no geriatric medicine capability. Where will the elderly go that need nursing home assistance or palliative care?

As the population ages, age related illness will take hold especially alzheimers and mobility issues. As the families shrink in size, the kids will not be able to take care of the parents and if they do, it will impact labour productivity. it is a serious economic crisis looming. Thailand won't be able to do what Japan does and import foreign caregivers because the elderly will not have the financial means to do so,

The fact that the USA bungled social assistance programs does not mean social assistance programs are bad. They work in many EU nations because they are properly funded.

Edited June 22, 2011 by geriatrickid

[hellodolly]

Excellent points. How ever is this type of thinking not part of the problem. Taking away of traditional values where the families looked after there own and putting the job on the Government.

I do believe that the governments could do more but at what point does it become a self defeating scheme.

Perhaps if they were to put more of there effort into the health of the elderly it would be money spent in a more beneficial way than just giving them money.

I know many will say they have all ready done that. But have they really. If there village is not in a area where there is a hospital what good is there feeble attempts. Are all hospitals staffed with qualified staff.

We live in Chiang Mai and my mother in law can not receive the government sponsored medical help here she has to go to some other Hospital in another part of the province. Fortunately to date I have been able to pay.

That brings up another point. The article said

"encouraging elderly to save money for their comfortable retirement."

A little late to start saving. Most of there lives they operated on the theory that there family would take care of them as they had done with the elderly of there generation. Now they find out that is not necessarily the case. My wife is 53 and still practices the traditional take care of her mother a practice I whole heartedly admire and endorse.

Yes the government' be they red white blue or yellow must do some thing for there elderly but just giving them money is not the answer.

[DP25]

This is going to be a serious challenge for Thailand. Traditionally children have always taken care of their parents, but traditionally people had 4 or 5 children. Now most people don't even have 2, which means the burden per child will rise dramatically, and an increase in elderly who don't have anyone. Fertility rate is down to 1.65 children per woman, far below replacement rate and below the rate of the US and some European countries.

[mccw]

I think the eu systems of elderly care and medical provision are going to need to be drastically scaled back or risk bankrupting the nations which is already starting with retirement ages rising etc; problem is it's politicaly very hard to do and may prove to be too little too late for many; like the Greeks every one became too use to comfy nanny state sorting them out.

I think financial help for elderly to take care themselves with help from kids or local cumunity supported also (such as providing a village minivan to take elders to Market or doctors if mobility issue staffed by volunteers or training provided for local care givers); much better than setting up nursing homes all over the place. It's a discrase how people in the west stick their old people away to die instead of family taking care. The only legitimate time for that is if they became a danger to themselves .

[hellodolly]

I have not been keeping up with all the election promises. Has any one offered any real help in a reasonable manor not there normal all will be well style?

[khaowong1]

What's going to happen in the mean time, is to ignore the problem.. Mai Bpen Rai. as usual.

[Thai at Heart]

This problem can only be solved when the family owned medium sized companies pay their taxes.

No small/private company owner in this country pays their taxes correctly. Solve that problem and then decide if the country can afford a social system.

Having worked in Greece, the only difference is that the people don't demand anything.

[DP25]

This problem can only be solved when the family owned medium sized companies pay their taxes.

No small/private company owner in this country pays their taxes correctly. Solve that problem and then decide if the country can afford a social system.

Having worked in Greece, the only difference is that the people don't demand anything.

A party who tried that would probably be committing suicide.