#  >  > Thailand Festivals, Beaches, Scuba Diving and Temples, Tell us Your Tales >  >  > Thailands Festivals and Celebrations >  >  Thailands National Elderly Day

## dirtydog

*Home care for elderly*
*

Ahead of National Elderly Day tomorrow, Deputy Prime Minister Paiboon Wattanasiritham has revealed the government will spend Bt60 million to set up a volunteer home-care initiative for senior citizens.* 

Paiboon yesterday cited a National Statistical Office report from last year that found about 495,000, or 7.1 per cent, of those of advanced age lived on their own and that this group would in 15 years grow by 10 per cent, making up 18 per cent of the population. 


He said the Social Development and Human Security Ministry would implement a pilot project to train volunteers to help house-bound elderly people in one tambon per province, before extending it to every tambon next year. 

Paiboon was presiding over the National Elderly Day celebration at Government House, where many veteran figures, including well-known Buddhism author Phra Phrommangkalajarn, or Panyananthabhikhu, were honoured as national senior citizens. 

Meanwhile, the Public Health Ministry has expressed concern about the number of parents who drink too much, smoke and are addicted to gambling. 

Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla said at a press conference for a campaign on "Warm Families" to be held over Songkran that of 18 million Thai families, 9.4 million were sole families, 1.3 million were single parent and 6 million were extended families. 

Studies found poor families had more of a tendency towards violence than rich ones, he said. 

The Nation

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## dirtydog

*One-fifth of Thai elders live alone*

**
*Nearly one-fifth of Thailand's elderly now live alone as society sees an increase nuclear families that care less for ageing members.* 

"It's alarming. The number of elderly people living alone has been climbing every year," Dr Yaowarat Porapakkharm said yesterday. 


She was presenting her analysis of a health survey conducted in 2003 and 2004 with the support of the Health Systems Research Institute. 

Back in 1970, only 10 per cent of the elderly lived alone, Yaowarat said. 

"What is shocking is that more than 12 per cent of the elderly population who cannot work are now left in welfare centres," she said. 

She said more than 80 per cent of the elderly population were currently working to support themselves and, in some cases, family members. 

"According to our survey, most working elderly people still want to work. However, their health can be a problem," Yaowarat said. 

She said many of the elderly suffered from malnutrition in addition to common ailments such as asthma, diabetes, anaemia, cancer, degenerative joints, kidney failure, high cholesterol and hypertension. 

Yaowarat urged Thai society to take good care of the elderly. "Promote family ties. It's good for all family members," she said. 

The Nation

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## dirtydog

*Soft opening for Phuket Welcome Gate
*
TAH CHAT CHAI: About 1,000 elderly people from around Phuket took part in an Elderly Day Ceremony at the Phuket Welcome Gate last Wednesday to preserve Thai culture during Songkran and encourage people to realize the importance of elderly members of the community.

Although the official opening for the Welcome Gate has yet to be organized, Phuket Provincial Administration Organization (_OrBorJor_)Vice-President Suthep Thepsakul said that the elderly day ceremony marked the venues soft opening.

We havent decided when the grand opening day for Gateway will be as we are very busy and the work is still not complete, we still need to do landscaping. This elderly day ceremony will be the one activity that introduces the Gateway to Phuket people and tourists, he said.

Construction of the Welcome Gate began late 2005 on 25 rai about 300 meters from the Sarasin Bridge with the budget of 46.67 million baht from the _OrBorJor_.

The complex comprises six offices, areas for stalls selling OTOP (One Tambon One Product) goods, 29 seven-meter-tall concrete pillars with passages explaining Phukets history in Thai and English engraved on them, and a 21.8-meter tall granite sculpture.

Phuket Gazette

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## blackgang

sounds good, but will it ever come to pass, we have one elder couple that I see all the time and they never have any of their kids around there, always seem to be alone, damn shame as the lady is bent double with arthritis and the old man don't get around to good either.
Kids folded up their wooden house and hauled it off somewhere couple or 3 years ago, but some one goes to help them sometimes.

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