PM'S VISIT
Govt may copy Japan's model of elderly care
The Nation

Health minister lauds country's social scheme to manage 'rapid changes'

BANGKOK: -- The government is pondering adopting certain features of the Japanese social security scheme, especially additional care for senior citizens, Public Health Minister Pradit Sinthawanarong said yesterday.

He said the ideas followed visit to Japan by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

One key change would be the setting up of an insurance fund which people could contribute to from the age of 40 - then receive a return when they turn 65. They could also make contributions via deductions from their salaries throughout their career, Pradit said.

Japan has faced a fast-paced growth in retirees - from seven to 14 per cent in a 25-year period. This compares to a similar rise in Europe, including France, Germany and the UK, over some 50 to 120 years.

The fast growth has required large funding from the Japanese government.

Pradit said continued funding had come till now via annual budgets, which have amounted to 21 trillion yen (Bt6 trillion). But under a new management, which focuses on cost effectiveness, the state funding burden had dropped. Among solutions which reduced the cost was taking care of the elderly in communities and clinics by volunteer carers, instead of hospitals.

MILLIONS WITH MEMORY LOSS

By 2050, people older than 65 will make up 50 per cent of the entire Japanese population, with another 30 per cent of working age. The number of senior citizens with Alzheimer's or memory recall problems has increased from two million to five million over the past decade, Pradit said, citing details provided by Japanese authorities.

Pradit said Japanese officials had advised Thailand to start adopting changes by now, as Thailand would be faced with a jump in elderly people over a 22-year period - even shorter than what the Japanese have seen.

After a meeting with Japanese officials, headed by Katsunori Hara, director- general of the Health and Welfare Bureau for the Elderly, Pradit said Yingluck was impressed by the Japanese social security scheme, which focused on improving health of the elderly. The PM had suggested setting up a programme to study the Japanese module, through subsidies from the Social Security Office and the Womens' Funds.

Deputy permanent-secretary to the ministry, Charnwit Tharathep, supported Yingluck's idea, after meeting with a Japanese public welfare expert Prof Tomonori Hasegawa. He said the speedy implementation of Yingluck's policy was key to success to the social changes Thailand will face.


-- The Nation 2013-05-27

The PM went to Japan, so the ministries are ordered to copy spread another foreign policy to raise their image

One can expect the Thai model as against the Japanese , will be a substandard affair, with the emphasis on vote buying , instead of the real need , peoples welfare , this if it ever happens??? it will turn into another shemozzle very similar to the Rice scheme, underfunded and opportunist shenanigans from the Administration

well my wife informed with sso a wile ago they now hve some system in where you contribute a part and the gov. put a part gives her a whopping 3000 per month when she is 65

Maybe this will end up with free rotten rice from the leftovers in storage if you vote for the PT and are older than 65

do they mean like some japanese nutcase politician said : please old people, just die, because you are costing too much?

do they forget japan is a western country based social system? where people actually pay tax, all of them, in stead of a small group of middleclass from bangkok ?

do they mean like some japanese nutcase politician said : please old people, just die, because you are costing too much?

do they forget japan is a western country based social system? where people actually pay tax, all of them, in stead of a small group of middleclass from bangkok ?

While his statement was quite rude, it was also accurate. The retirement age for men was set at age 65 many years ago under the statistical calculation that 2/3 of men die before reaching this age. The increase in longevity and the post war baby boomers now reaching that age is causing financial problems in many economies.

Thailand copies without further thought and without planning and thinking... Copyright infringement laws do not exist, see Panthip et. al...

MILLIONS WITH MEMORY LOSS

By 2050, people older than 65 will make up 50 per cent of the entire Japanese population, with another 30 per cent of working age. The number of senior citizens with Alzheimer's or memory recall problems has increased from two million to five million over the past decade, Pradit said, citing details provided by Japanese authorities.

Borrow the Bt 6 Trill from Japan and when they forget they lent it to Thailand your 'home and hosed' ....

This is consequence of the breakdown of the family and traditional home care.

The great Thai tradition of putting a proportion of income into the bank to build up a fund for rainy days or future needs and pension is so well established in the working class here that it should be easy to refine it.

Most Thais would be shocked to learn that some people could actually reach the age of 40 and have not started financial planning for retirement yet.

Maybe the many subsistence farmers could donate a percentage of their rice, so that the government could build up a giant rice store to feed old people in the future when times are tough.

One key change would be the setting up of an insurance fund which people could contribute to from the age of 40 - then receive a return when they turn 65. They could also make contributions via deductions from their salaries throughout their career, Pradit said.

Hang on a sec! That would require Thais to plan well ahead into the future, wouldn't it?

I thought the article would be about the old folks homes. There are about five or six within a 5 minute walk from my apartment.

The whole worlds aging population has caught up. With people living longer and retiring earlier, the baby boomers are a prime moving force that was.