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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