Government is ignoring the needs of ageing Thais

[webfact]

Government is ignoring the needs of ageing Thais
Chularat Saengpassa

BANGKOK: -- More and more people are hitting retirement age in Thailand and by 2030 there will be as many as 18 million elderly Thais - a number that will mark a massive shift in our social structure.

This means one in every five people will be over 60 and most will have stopped working by then. So, it is becoming more and more important for people to start planning their financial future, as well as working on maintaining their health if they expect to remain independent.

It's also time for proper government policies for the benefit of a greying population.

So far, there are few policies for people over 60, and the ones that are in place are not very practical. For instance, the monthly subsidy of between Bt600-Bt1,000 is far too meagre to help with the rising cost of living, especially when a box of rice with a fried egg costs Bt25 nowadays. Plus, most people have to spend a fair bit to get to hospital to avail of free healthcare.

Meanwhile, studies show that people relying on state pension alone will most likely end up in a difficult situation.

Hence, Dr Orapin Sopchokchai, a researcher for the National Statistical Office, said it is time Thailand pays heed to steps taken by Japan and Singapore. These countries have chosen to extend the mandatory retirement age for their citizens. In 1999, Singapore set the retirement age at 62, while Japan is expected to set it at 65 this year.

Vichai Chokevivat, who chairs the Senior Citizens Council of Thailand, also warned relevant authorities to start preparing right away, especially since the Social Security Office (SSO) will need to start paying out pensions from as early as next year. He said things would become very difficult if the SSO runs out of funds. SSO members aged 55 and above are eligible for pensions.

Thus, he said, the government should start implementing its National Savings Fund (NSF), which will encourage people to start putting away money for their retirement.

Apart from giving its greying population financial freedom, the government also needs to start making public facilities friendly for the elderly. Infrastructure that is age friendly, whether it be toilets or transportation, will help the elderly be more independent.

Then there is the question of health.

Activities encouraging people to exercise regularly and eat healthily should be organised on a wider scale, because if the 60-plus population is healthy, it can remain part of a vibrant workforce that will help the country develop. Besides, a healthy person is also a happy person.


-- The Nation 2013-07-23

[bigbamboo]

Surely every Thai will rich enough by then to be able to travel to hospital by high speed train whilst eating their delicious Shinluck lunchbox meal.

[Robby nz]

mandatory retirement age for their citizens

Mandatory retirement age indeed.

What proportion of the Thai population does this cover?

Not a lot I would suspect, certainly not farmers, fishermen, those who have market stalls or work in the markets.

These people keep working till they are no longer able then in most cases their family takes care of them.

Those who have no family of a family who doesn't care just do the best they can, often in pitiful conditions, until they die.

[Bluespunk]

"Government is ignoring the needs of ageing Thais"

This govt ignores the needs of everyone but themselves.

Edited July 23, 2013 by Bluespunk

[lovetotravel]

There are basically NO geriatric health care providers here.

[Credo]

There are basically NO geriatric health care providers here.

There are starting to be more and more geriatric health care providers -- as in Dr's. who are over the age of 60.

One of the big problems is going to be the smaller family size and the longevity of people. I know a lot of people who have no, 1 or 2 children and those children are not going to be able to take care of grandma, grandpa and a great grandparent or two on both sides of the family when they marry. Years ago, with a family of 6,7, or 8 kids, parents were likely to have some sort of support.

Eventually the country will have to adopt some social security that is significant for the needs of older people, but in the meantime, it's going to unpleasant.

[Searat7]

^{I think another problem is that even though Thais who paid into their Social Security pension program can start collecting at Age 55- they are only allowed to collect for 15 years so what happens if they live to Age 80 ?}

[LuckyLew]

You could also add they ignoring the needs of the children, the youth, the poor and the middle class

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Ordinary Thais saving for retirement?

I read in a separate news item here the other day that the average Thai household monthly debt payment is about 12,000b per month. And that's just debt.... not ordinary living expenses.

Putting that in context, that's pretty close to the average monthly income for a lot of Bangkok-based Thai employees...leaving aside the 300b per day minimum wage crowd.

[Gsxrnz]

Thailand simply doesn't have the tax base/structure to allow the government to do anything to provide adequate social support and infrastructure for its population as a whole, never mind the elderly. The article is written on the assumption that Thailand is a 1st world country and can apply 1st world solutions.

Quite simply, this is impossible. It's almost as though the writer is assuming that Thailand has a huge middle class paying taxes to allow improved government social spending, earning enough to save for retirement, and support themselves in the meantime. This is clearly not the case. As a proportion of the population, the middle class in Thailand (as compared objectively to western societies) is very small.

Unless Thailand can get itself out of the democratic dictatorship form of government, eradicate state corruption, and actually think/plan beyond the next bowl of rice, then Thai society will have to accept the status quo. The status quo being that the government and the ruling classes don't care, and the lower classes, farmers, and the elderly don't really matter. It's a sink or swim society at the end of the day.

Edited July 23, 2013 by Gsxrnz

[doremifasol]

I have a high respect for the elderly. They have made it through life challenges and hardship.

They have seen everything, they have endured a lot. They have worked hard to satisfy the needs of many.

And yet.........when it is time for them to sit back and enjoy the years left,

(instead of being taken care of) they are being utterly neglected if not forgotten.

​All they are left with, is an overwhelming sense of loneliness. From deep inside.

So very sad..........

[noitom]

Surely every Thai will rich enough by then to be able to travel to hospital by high speed train whilst eating their delicious Shinluck lunchbox meal.

And the streets in the cities will all be paved smoothly and sidewalks will all be redone and smoothed over with ramps on the corners. All buildings will have lifts and access ramps to accommodate wheelchairs and people with walkers.

[Xonax]

In Thailand money from corruption is almost equal to the GDP. Just arrest and proscecute the corrupt Politicians, Government officials, Police officers, Army officers and all other people, who have ever benefitted from corruption. They are all just a bunch of thieves and if they could be stopped and money and assets claimed back to the people of Thailand, who they have stolen the money from, there would be more than enough money for a proper pension and elderly care program!

Just start with the owners of all the vacant land in Thailand. Wherever you go, you see the big signs with land for sale for astronomous prices. Where did the owners get the money to buy the land from and did they purchase the land at market price, or just a symbolic amount paid to their fellow Politicians?

Photo just used as an expample, without neccessarily having been bought with money from corruption..

Edited July 23, 2013 by Xonax

[soi41]

There are basically NO geriatric health care providers here.

Wrong, wrong!! There are plenty of them. They are called BG's !

[Bluespunk]

There are basically NO geriatric health care providers here.

Wrong, wrong!! There are plenty of them. They are called BG's !

BG's?

[Gsxrnz]

There are basically NO geriatric health care providers here.

Wrong, wrong!! There are plenty of them. They are called BG's !

Now that's amusing. May upset some of the more aged and PC segment of TVF, but taken with a grain of salt, it got a huge laugh out of me.

[Utley]

"Apart from giving its greying population financial freedom, the government also needs to start making public facilities friendly for the elderly. Infrastructure that is age friendly, whether it be toilets or transportation, will help the elderly be more independent."

Escalators for the aged and elevators (lifts) for the handicapped on the BTS would be a real plus. Bangkok has got to be one of the most aged/handicapped unfriendly cities on the planet!

[Shagz]

Thailand simply doesn't have the tax base/structure to allow the government to do anything to provide adequate social support and infrastructure for its population as a whole, never mind the elderly. The article is written on the assumption that Thailand is a 1st world country and can apply 1st world solutions.

Quite simply, this is impossible. It's almost as though the writer is assuming that Thailand has a huge middle class paying taxes to allow improved government social spending, earning enough to save for retirement, and support themselves in the meantime. This is clearly not the case. As a proportion of the population, the middle class in Thailand (as compared objectively to western societies) is very small.

Unless Thailand can get itself out of the democratic dictatorship form of government, eradicate state corruption, and actually think/plan beyond the next bowl of rice, then Thai society will have to accept the status quo. The status quo being that the government and the ruling classes don't care, and the lower classes, farmers, and the elderly don't really matter. It's a sink or swim society at the end of the day.

Exactly, Thailand doesn't have the tax based structure to support adequate welfare, old aged pensions etc., the average senior Thai citizen depends on their children to support them, it's a family and community based structure.

[indyuk]

Surely every Thai will rich enough by then to be able to travel to hospital by high speed train whilst eating their delicious Shinluck lunchbox meal.

And the streets in the cities will all be paved smoothly and sidewalks will all be redone and smoothed over with ramps on the corners. All buildings will have lifts and access ramps to accommodate wheelchairs and people with walkers.

What a wonderful dream 'noitom'. Life is so dificult for the handicapped in Thailand. Two weeks ago when Yingluck was showing the new handicap friendly ramp to government house, while surrounded by discustingly healthy looking people rolling around in shiny new wheel chairs I just about threw up.

In reality the Thai handicapped cannot access stuff like wheel chairs, home aids, modified toilets, mobility allowance, specialised health care services like home oxygen for those with respiratory problems.

[retell]

Surely every Thai will rich enough by then to be able to travel to hospital by high speed train whilst eating their delicious Shinluck lunchbox meal.

And the streets in the cities will all be paved smoothly and sidewalks will all be redone and smoothed over with ramps on the corners. All buildings will have lifts and access ramps to accommodate wheelchairs and people with walkers.

What a wonderful dream 'noitom'. Life is so dificult for the handicapped in Thailand. Two weeks ago when Yingluck was showing the new handicap friendly ramp to government house, while surrounded by discustingly healthy looking people rolling around in shiny new wheel chairs I just about threw up.

In reality the Thai handicapped cannot access stuff like wheel chairs, home aids, modified toilets, mobility allowance, specialised health care services like home oxygen for those with respiratory problems.

nice at immigration in mukdahan they have a wheelchair ramp as it is of no use , to steep and got a 90 degree curve on top that is very hard to get a wheelchair through but the best is in order to get to that ramp you must be able to fly a wheelchair onto a 30 cm high sidewalk

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Thailand has plenty of mouldy rice in storage.

Free rice for pensioners!

Doesn't cost the government anything.

[Farangdam]

this is due to degrading of thais family value.....so sad...

[pb1936]

It's a third world country........ what do you expect ? Simply survival of the fittest and everyone for himself.............sad to say.

[Mampara]

Who needs these old farts anyway! they did their bit for the country, some gave their lives for the country, others suffered hardships for the country, many helped to build the country into what it is today (excluding the politicians) Now their time is done, so lets throw them into the rubbish dump and forget about them.

[PeaceBlondie]

Thai Fertile 1975-1980 3.92 1980-1985 2.95 1985-1990 2.30 1990-1995 1.99 1995-2000 1.77 2000-2005 1.68 2005-2010 1.63 2010-2015 1.58

[Mampara]

Who needs these old farts anyway! they did their bit for the country, some gave their lives for the country, others suffered hardships for the country, many helped to build the country into what it is today (excluding the politicians) Now their time is done, so lets throw them into the rubbish dump and forget about them.

[PeaceBlondie]

Thai Fertile 1975-1980

3.92

1980-1985 2.95 1985-1990 2.30 1990-1995 1.99 1995-2000 1.77 2000-2005 1.68 2005-2010 1.63 2010-2015 1.58

[Robby nz]

Thailand has plenty of mouldy rice in storage.

Free rice for pensioners!

Doesn't cost the government anything.

They tried that in Pitsanaluok a short while back and the old people complained it was so rotten even the dogs wouldn't eat it.

Was on the news at the time

[Tomtomtom69]

The Thai attitude towards it's elderly is simply disgusting. Thailand must be one of the most age discriminatory societies in the world despite Thai culture generally holding the elderly in high esteem due to their wisdom and experience the reality is all of that is just part of age old custom but does not reflect how the government (or even the rest of society) views it's elderly citizens because being elderly in Thailand yields few benefits of any kind.

I can cite numerous examples of this and I will make comparisons with a few other countries:

1. Discounts for elderly people are few and far between in Thailand. Only the BTS offers discounts for elderly Thai citizens traveling but I can't think of a single tourist attraction, restaurant, hotel or other business that provides discounts to seniors - the THAI Airways "senior pass" is a joke - the fares quoted are said to be even a little higher than other promotional fares or otherwise only very marginally lower than normal fares and are only valid on domestic flights and not all the time either, only when THAI runs that promotion. In China for example, most tourist attractions offer discounts for elderly citizens aged 60 or above and even foreigners are eligible, they don't use the race card like in Thailand. I could also try to point out that most tourist attractions in China are more accessible for the elderly and are far better value for money than their Thai counterparts, but that's not the point of this thread so I won't go there.

2. Most job advertisements in Thailand discriminate against older workers judging by the requirements, for example "male/female aged between 22 and 35" and in any case, it's almost impossible to continue working as a Thai if you are older than 60 unless you are in senior management or own your business. Luckily foreigners are often still able to work in Thailand if they are older than 60 but unfortunately for the locals it doesn't help that so many people here talk about "becoming tired" or "getting old" or "not having enough strength to work anymore" when they reach 45 especially if they are female. And most of those people that complain like this are office workers. Farmers, including females are often well above 60 and are able to perform incredibly back breaking endurance work that people less than half their age wouldn't last half an hour doing.

3. As already mentioned, the infrastructure in Thailand, particularly in Bangkok but even elsewhere is not conducive for the elderly to lead a good life. How the hell would an 80-year old who struggles with his walking be able to catch a bus in Bangkok if they stop in lane 3 with motorcycle taxis passing in front and taxi drivers opening their doors to let out passengers? Additionally, such 80-year olds might not be able to get off buses in time (most buses here stop only long enough to jump off the bus onto the road below), not to mention having to go down three steps because Thai buses rarely have sliding mechanisms that allow people with wheelchairs or limited mobility to get on or off.

4. Old age pensions are very limited here and they are generally only guaranteed to be provided for ex-government workers. Even so, with the rising cost of living it is difficult to live off such a pension.

5. As stated in the article, other countries have raised their retirement ages in line with increasing life expectancy and in order to avoid bankrupting the social security system. It's about time Thailand considered doing the same. There is no reason why Thai males shouldn't be retiring at 65 and Thai females at 60 or even 62 (at this stage). 60 is much too early - most western countries have had retirement ages of 65 in some cases for both sexes for years. Thai life expectancy is now less than 10 years lower than in the most advanced western countries - even more reason to consider working longer. As the article mentioned Japan recently increased it's retirement age and so Thailand should follow this precedent especially as Thailand is predicted to have more elderly people than Australia and America in a couple of decades from now.

6. Even if Thailand is a developing country and will remain so for the foreseeable future, this is no excuse for failing to look after it's elderly. As correctly stated in the article, the elderly as a proportion of the total population will increase to a significant level in only a few short years - more and more steps should be made to accommodate their needs including the provision of public and private hospitals specializing in geriatric care.

7. Perhaps a minor point although it does speak volumes about the attitudes of some people here (though by no means most) but despite signs indicating seats should be vacated for the elderly when traveling on the BTS or MRT in Bangkok, the signs equally state that adults should vacate their seats for perfectly able bodied energetic kids. In many cases the elderly have been vacating their seats for kids, or adults/teenagers etc. have not vacated their seats for elderly passengers. There is something fundamentally wrong about that and this attitude shows a tremendous amount of disrespect for the elderly given they are the most deserving of such seats, certainly not children. I can't imagine not giving up a seat for an elderly person on a bus or train back home or in most other countries because not only is it common sense and shows basic human decency to be respectful towards the elderly, but the consequences of not doing so can be dire. I have seen younger people who refuse to give up their seats being abused by both the elderly and working age adults in front of all the other passengers on the bus and this is clearly very embarrassing. Obviously this does not happen in Thailand hence the perpetrators here are able to get away with this behavior.

Edited July 23, 2013 by Tomtomtom69

[hellodolly]

Don't know where the 600 to 1,000 baht payment from the government comes in. My 82 year old mother in law gets 500 baht a month.

I have to admit they have made it mandatory for all government buildings and new construction to put in Western toilets. I had to buy one for my Mother in law as her knees wouldn't take it any more.

But they should plan an infrastructure for the elderly Ramps at the corners that are not steep and wide enough for a wheel chair. Side walks you can take a wheel chair down or a walker. Side walks that you don't have to watch for holes in them and steps of various height in them.

They say

"Thus, he said, the government should start implementing its National Savings Fund (NSF), which will encourage people to start putting away money for their retirement"

Good luck with that.

They talk about health encourage people to eat healthy.

Good luck with that one. First they would have to teach them about sanitation then explain what is healthy and what is not.

Chiang Mai is a large city and not one nutritionist in the whole city. Who is to say what is healthy and what isn't. My wife tells me it is good because it is Thai. It was good enough for her grand parents it is good enough for her.