Aging population grows in Thailand

[webfact]

Aging population grows in Thailand



BANGKOK: -- Thailand now has almost 10 million aging population with most of them having chronic diseases, according to permanent secretary of Public Health Ministry Dr Narong Sahametapat.

Speaking on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons today, he quoted Mahidol University as reporting that were 9.93 million Thai people aged 60 and over this year, and they formed 15% of the total population.

The Department of Health and related agencies surveyed the health of 14,000 aging people in 28 provinces and found that only 5% of them had good health.

This indicates that only about 500,000 aging people throughout the country are healthy and that 10 million others have chronic diseases including diabetes, hypertension, depression and knee osteoarthritis.

Of these number, about 200,000 aging people are dependent on others as they are bed-ridden and need careers. Besides, about 8%, or 800,000, stay at home alone.

The Ministry of Public Health will ask the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, local administrative organisations and communities to help aging people live happily withing their families and communities, and the ministry itself will install facilities and improve buildings at hospitals to serve them and ensure their safety.

There are 841 million people aged 60 years or older worldwide and this was expected to climb to about 1.4 billion in 16 years.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/aging-population-grows-thailand/


-- Thai PBS 2014-10-01

[ratcatcher]

Is there an alternative? Only, I suppose, if the birth rate exceeds the death rate?

Aging population diminishes?

Any takers?

[gemini81]

Is there an alternative? Only, I suppose, if the birth rate exceeds the death rate?

Aging population diminishes?

Any takers?

aging asians....yep, even they age too.... hope this ain't news to the journalist who wrote it, but it appears that way, haha!

[rubl]

Is there an alternative? Only, I suppose, if the birth rate exceeds the death rate?

Aging population diminishes?

Any takers?

Alternatives tend to be tricky and I'm not sure I'd recommend them to Thailand. I doubt the "Termination of Life on Request and Assisted Suicide (Review Procedures) Act, 2002" as the Netherlands has would work here, apart from likely fraud by greedy relatives.

PS Soylent Green is people"

[clockman]

Only 5% had good health! Thai food is unhealthy. This proves it.

[harryfrompattaya]

It time for the EU England and United States aid these people These countries are very rich

Where Soros and Bill Gates the Warren when we need them

[trogers]

It time for the EU England and United States aid these people These countries are very rich

Where Soros and Bill Gates the Warren when we need them

Yea, send more whisky...

[lostinisaan]

The Department of Health and related agencies surveyed the health of 14,000 aging people in 28 provinces and found that only 5% of them had good health.

The Department of Health and related agencies surveyed the health of 14,000 aging people in 28 provinces and found that only 0.0005% of them had good health. When they visited a hospital in lower northeast, they found out why it is as it is.

Of these number, about 200,000 aging people are dependent on others as they are bed-ridden and need careers. Besides, about 8%, or 800,000, stay at home alone.

Of these number, about 200,000 aging people are independent on others as they are not bed-ridden and don't need careers. Besides, about 8%, or 800,000, sleep in their beds home alone.

I read that to my grand mother in law, a 88 year old woman, she started laughing

Edited October 1, 2014 by lostinisaan

[englishoak]

It time for the EU England and United States aid these people These countries are very rich

Where Soros and Bill Gates the Warren when we need them

The rich of Thailand have more than enough to help their own countrymen if they wish, let them do it for their own for a change... let Soros and gates pick up the African bill

Edited October 1, 2014 by englishoak

[lostinisaan]

Only 5% had good health! Thai food is unhealthy. This proves it.

Just wondering what the results of TVF members' mental health survey will show.....

[kurnell]

Let them keep working into their 70s. We just hired a guy in his sixties and he's great.

[GuyL]

clockman, on 01 Oct 2014 - 18:14, said:

Only 5% had good health! Thai food is unhealthy. This proves it.

I guess that it is much more correlated with poverty.

[kuiburi]

If we all put a litlle bit of effort in for the elderly people in our neighbourhood it would improve a lot .

Not needs to be finacially just have a chat with the lonely ones ones in a while .

Use our cars to get them to the hospital if necessary ,

So many things we all can do to help the elderly having a better time the last chapter of there life .

We took care for my wifes granny for 3 years , it was great to see her so happy when she was with us ( she was in her late 90's )

My neighbours are in there 70's , they have no kids , we help them all the time with little things .

It gives us joy and happiness to see them happy with a little effort from our side .

[harryfrompattaya]

If we all put a litlle bit of effort in for the elderly people in our neighbourhood it would improve a lot .

Not needs to be finacially just have a chat with the lonely ones ones in a while .

Use our cars to get them to the hospital if necessary ,

So many things we all can do to help the elderly having a better time the last chapter of there life .

We took care for my wifes granny for 3 years , it was great to see her so happy when she was with us ( she was in her late 90's )

My neighbours are in there 70's , they have no kids , we help them all the time with little things .

It gives us joy and happiness to see them happy with a little effort from our side .

Thank You we need more people like you

[Borzandy]

"Aging population grows in Thailand" it's again the fault of the retired farangs.

[Nolster]

Can they define as to what they mean "good health" when it comes to the elderly. As people age various diseases develop in their bodies. the real question is as to how people deal with these various ailments. I met a couple in their 70's who do not pay much heed to their doctors' warnings and lead an active life, their bodies are creaking but their minds are still sharp.

[Nolster]

"Aging population grows in Thailand" it's again the fault of the retired farangs.

They need to lower the retirement age to 30 so that way too many farangs will come to Thailand and drown out the oldies and their ailments!

[smileydude]

In order to have a balance between the aging population and working population you need to have a constant birth rate of 2.0 children/family.

2.1 and higher you have a rising population. Thailand's average is 1.7 children/family so by 2020 we will have a significant decrease in the population coupled with more then 25% aged 60 and above. Problem is the shortage of workforce-aged persons and a large proportion of unhealthy aged people.

Currently 70% of the costs of the Universal Healthcare Program are due to chronic illness like hypertension and diabetes.

The fact that it is 100% free does not encourage them to take care of themselves or live a healthy preventive lifestyle.

The solution may be to introduce co-payment in the healthcare system. If people are partially responsible for footing the bill they tend to be more aware and take better care of themselves of out of concern of the costs. Bad health is usually due to poor habits of diet and inactivity. No one can get people to stop smoking, drinking, cramming cholesterols down our throats or being couch potatoes better then ourselves.

With a larger proportion of healthy aged citizens we can raise the retirement age to 65 and extend the workforce years.

Working and staying active into our sunset years also decreases the chances of developing Alzheimers and many other diseases of aging.

Edited October 2, 2014 by smileydude

[Boatfreak]

Of course it does not help if the (almost) only people entitled to get an extended visa are 50 plussers while active, economy injecting farangs are refused.