Local managers can meet elderly needs

Academics are urging the government to better respond to the growing needs of the elderly population by investing in the training of community-based managers.

- POST REPORTERS

The call was made during a panel discussion during the recent launch of the “TU Care & Ageing Society Programme”, which aims to position Thammasat University as a key partner in tackling complex issues related to Thailand's ageing society.

Asst Prof Nattapat Sarobol, a specialist in elderly welfare from the university’s faculty of social administration, said Thailand’s society is ageing rapidly and poorly.

Many elders in Thailand suffer from isolation and inadequate care, she said, and many die alone in cases similar to Japan's kodokushi phenomenon. Some elders also experience “the long goodbye”, where dementia gradually distances them from loved ones long before death, she said.