Songkran, the traditional New Year in Thailand, is a special time of year when people return home to honour their parents. So, the first day of Songkran, April 13, was designated National Elderly Day.
Since Thailand will reach the status of "super-aged society" in the next eight years, observing National Elderly Day should do more than just recognise the elderly's contributions to society.
The focus should also be on how to prepare them for the challenges ahead. Evidently, there is a critical need for policies to promote their health, wellbeing, and independence.
According to the Department of Older Persons, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Thailand had 12,159,926 elderly as of 2022. The majority of them are in the 60-69 age group, totalling 7,042,023 people.
In 2005, only 10% of Thais were over 60. In 2021, the number of people over 60 doubled to 20%, making Thailand a fully-aged society. In 2031, Thailand will become a super-aged society when the number of elderly will reach 28% of the population. It is clear that Thailand needs to address the unique needs of this growing demographic.
First and foremost concerns financial support for the elderly. Due to Thailand's gross income disparity, most senior citizens do not have sufficient savings or income to support themselves. Currently, the government provides a meagre monthly stipend of 600 baht to people over 60. This is not enough even to meet basic needs.
It is imperative to increase financial support for the elderly. As part of the universal welfare scheme, a minimum monthly stipend of 3,000 baht should be provided. According to the House Committee on the Elderly, this would significantly improve the elderly's quality of life.
The government's constant complaint is lack of funding. The crux of the problem, however, in government's spending priorities.
Huge sums have been allocated to megaprojects, some of which face questions about their necessity or even transparency. Defence is crucial, but expenditure for weaponry should not come at the cost of citizens' wellbeing, particularly that of the elderly.
The government should increase the monthly allowance from 600 baht to 1,500 baht and add 200 more each year until it reaches 3,000 baht, according to the House Committee on the Elderly. The government should follow this course.
The most vulnerable group are elderly highlanders. Despite having lived in Thailand for a long time, they do not yet have Thai citizenship. Although their children have acquired Thai nationality, complicated bureaucratic red tape has prevented the parents from obtaining citizenship. So they do not have access to welfare support such as financial assistance for the elderly. The Interior Ministry should amend the problematic regulations and expedite the naturalisation of the elderly highlanders.
Centralisation remains a huge problem. The Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and the Interior Ministry now have top-down control over policy and budgeting for the elderly with no input from local communities.
These ministries must decentralise policies and budgeting for the elderly because local governments and communities can deliver prompt care and better meet the needs of local elderly.
The law should also give local governments more authority and freedom to handle matters to improve elderly welfare and services across the board.
People over 60 are now in better health than ever thanks to advancements in healthcare technology. The Labour Department and the business community should then concentrate on re-skilling programmes so that seniors can continue to be economically productive and financially independent.
Since their experiences outside the formal education system provide the elderly in rural areas with professional expertise, labour authorities should establish pay guidelines that reflect the value of their expertise so their work can be fairly compensated. The Education Ministry should also promote non-formal education specifically for the elderly to help them keep up with change as part of its lifelong education programme.
In addition, the government must provide adequate infrastructure to promote active ageing and make it easy for the elderly to commute to be economically productive.
The business sector needs to adopt a new recruitment strategy to hire older workers and ensure their safety at work along with increasing automation to address the labour shortage.
The government must pursue policies to reskill older workers, promote active ageing, and help re-skill elders to address the labour shortage. Making this happen is the most fitting way to honour the elderly.
