Thread: Actress’s death exposes harsh reality of Thailand’s home-alone ageing society

Award-winning actress Seeda Puapimon, 70, passed away so quietly earlier this week that her body was only discovered several days later. Her case is a tragic reminder of the fate befalling more and more elderly Thais – dying alone.


The Public Health Ministry estimates that Thailand will become a “fully aged society” by the end of this year, when 20% of the population, or 14.4 million Thais, will be over 60.


Surveys show the percentage of elderly Thais living alone almost tripled from 2.3% in 1996 to 6.5% in 2018. This means around one million elderly Thais now live on their own.


Many old people have underlying health problems, and living alone increases their risk of not being able to access life-saving medical help in emergencies.

Seeda’s sad fate


Born in 1955, Seeda starred in a string of Thai films in her younger years. Yet, awards proved elusive despite her fame. Her life took a tragic turn when her son, also a famous actor, died suddenly in 2006.


She also plunged into financial trouble, becoming the subject of gossip and rumours in Thailand’s celebrity-obsessed society.


However, Seeda had made a comeback in recent years. Last year, she was handed a role in the hit television series “Paradise of Thorns”, for which she earned her first ever award.


She accepted the 2024 Cinefile Audience Award for Best Supporting Actress at a showbiz ceremony on March 10.


Seeda was last spotted in public on Monday evening (March 17), when CCTV footage showed her walking into her apartment.


By Thursday evening, her son’s former girlfriend, who had been taking care of Seeda in recent years, requested rescue workers to break into the apartment after friends said they had not been able to contact the actress for several days.


They then found Seeda lying dead in the apartment. An autopsy showed she died of blood circulation failure.

Higher chance of dying alone


Prof Pramote Prasartkul from Mahidol University’s Institute for Population and Social Research warns that an increasing number of Thais will die alone.


He predicted that the growing elderly population and the decline of extended families mean more and more Thais will be abandoned to solitary deaths – a trend already causing shockwaves in Japan.


“It may be days, months, or even years before people learn about deaths,” he said in an article published at The Prachakorn : เดà¸[at]ะประชาà¸�ร, which provides population-related content.


Last year, after a 71-year-old man complained his elderly sister was not responding to calls, police checked up on her at home only to discover her skeletal remains.


She was 76 and had been living alone after retiring as a teacher at one of Thailand’s most prestigious schools. Police believe she must have succumbed to an illness.


Experts warn that old people who live alone face higher risks, stating that even a fall, choking on food, or a mild illness can result in death if not treated in time.


There is also the risk of forgetting or failing to take medication for underlying illnesses. Then there’s the threat of criminal attacks, which are reportedly increasing against old people who live with others.

Tips to stay safe


Elderly people who live alone are advised to get regular medical checkups and exercise to maintain their health and independence.


Experts say they should also join social groups and participate in activities if possible. Also recommended is reconfiguring their home to minimise the risk of falling by tripping or slipping. And a telephone with useful numbers on speed dial can be a vital aid in times of need.

Actress’s death exposes harsh reality of Thailand’s home-alo

Originally Posted by misskit

Elderly people who live alone are advised to get regular medical checkups and exercise to maintain their health and independence.

Excellent advice.

News flash:

We are still going to die though.

And when we die, we die alone.

Agreed.

This 'passed peacefully surrounded by friends and family' thing is horse .

'Died sedated in a medical facility' is what it means.

Who can imagine what features shopping malls in Thailand in 2075 might have.

One can reasonably expect them to be circa 75 storeys tall, though.

Had good friends pass away in Nan in 2015 and 2021, both at home, both with cancer. The local hospital was very, very generous with the amount of morphine allowed for home use. Tab form and liquid. They both appreciated passing at home instead of in the hospital.

^ That’s great news. Thanks.

I know someone whose mother is at home with terminal lung cancer, and she is also well supplied with morphine by the local hospital.

But, that may be because they have cancer and are in pain. I was thinking of just a regular death by organ failure at an advanced age. Do they give drugs for that?

Originally Posted by taxexile

I know someone whose mother is at home with terminal lung cancer, and she is also well supplied with morphine by the local hospital.

When the gf's mother had terminal liver cancer and there was nothing more they could do they sent her home with enough morphine for a horse, or three. Apparently, neither the hospital nor the family wanted her to die in hospital, there is too much paperwork.
She spent the final days on the floor in her house, with her lifelong friends and neighbours around her. Those women, it was mostly women, sat and gossiped and changed soiled clothes and, most importantly, gave her random doses of morphine whenever it seemed to them a good idea. There was always a group there, 24/7. She hung on longer than most expected.
The gf called me mid-morning after her passing and I arrived mid-afternoon, by which time she was already in a box. I asked who certified the death, which they thought was an odd question. She's dead, why would we need a doctor?

^ That was very similar to how my mother-in-law passed.

She had been sick for ages and was skeletally thin at the end. I am sure that she had some kind of cancer but I don't think that any of the family actually know the exact cause of death. She died during Covid, but no doctor was involved so no-one knows if that finished her off.

I stay out of such family affairs.

^ Exactly. My father’s doctor wouldn’t give him enough sleeping tablets to take one every night. He didn’t want my dad to become addicted. He was 85+ years old. What difference would it make if he were addicted?

this may be in bad taste but... If taking care of someone dying at home be sure to give a cap of Senna with every dose or every second dose of morphine.
two things surprised me when death strikes, eyelids dont stay down no matter how many times you close them (movies lie) The butt has two active sphincters which relax and open at death.
sorry

^ My FIL died at home in Thailand from liver cancer. He was supplied with more than enough morphine. However, two uncles have died recently from other diseases and were not given pain killers at all. One couldn't keep anything down, took several weeks to die. He wasn't in pain, just got weaker and weaker. It was quite a strain for the family for an extended period.