“Being alone is very lonely.

As the old saying goes, it's comfortable but not fun. Two people are suffering. It's fun but not comfortable. They reflect on two things differently.

Good deeds have different views, different kinds of people, living alone, traveling, eating, spending, when sick, no one heals us..."...

Anyone who was born before the year 2500 would be familiar with this song.

"You have a couple, Mr. Kham" of Khun Dararat

Kiat Kerdsuk

It's unbelievable that although this song was popular across the past 60 years, it still interestingly reflects the image of being alone and having a couple today.

Nowadays, the tendency of the elderly to live alone is increasing steadily and is starting to show clearer signs of having no caretaker at the end of life

...now has become a society without children

Marriage values ​​have changed.

More and more young people are choosing to stay single.

marry late

want to have fewer children

or... choose not to have children at all

News on social media and public media has presented images of the difficulties and insecurity of elderly people living alone.

Due to health, mental, economic, housing problems, including inequality in access to social services.

This issue has led to pondering.

in terms of preparation

Or preparing to accommodate the number of elderly people who live alone, which will increase in the future.

Leads to the question that...when living alone at the end of life

How will this group of elderly people live?

Who will be in charge?

Situation of Elderly Living Alone In 2020, about half of all Thai households have elderly people.

households where the elderly live alone

and where the husband and wife live alone

tends to increase continuously

Interestingly, during the years 1990-2020, both types of households tend to increase almost 6 times.

"Being alone is very lonely"

...reflecting the feeling of loneliness

Analysis of data from the 2019 Health and Welfare Survey of the National Statistical Office.

It was found that elderly people who live alone feel more anxious and depressed than those who live with other people.

The older you get

The more you feel anxious and depressed

Especially the elderly woman

who were more worried and depressed than male elderly

One of the reasons is the death of a spouse and being single.

Sutthida Chuanwan

wrote this story in the Journal of Population and Development.

Institute for Population and Social Research

Mahidol University

(October-Nov. 22) stated that the institute's research reflected the mental state of elderly people who are alone.

which there are not many who have feelings

“They wanted people to come and visit.

Having someone to talk to reduces the risk of psychological vulnerability.”

The next issue is

..reflecting on living alone

want to do anything

But still concluded that if sick, there will be no one to help take care of it.

Elderly people without previous preparations for saving money

When sick and sick in old age

may not have money for treatment

Including when having to be alone alone

If it is necessary to travel to the hospital

how to go

which data from the National Statistical Office

The 2019 Health and Welfare Survey shows that 26 percent of elderly people living alone...

This is a major problem for elderly people who live alone without their children to take care of them.

making it difficult to access health services

Preparedness that leads to quality aging

The important point is that…one of the preparations that lead to quality aging

Is to provide comprehensive and comprehensive social services for people of all age groups, meaning that every "elderly" should be taken care of.

Therefore, having a community-based care system

(communitybased services) might be the right answer.

Local government organizations should be the main agencies that have a role in caring for the elderly in the community.

together with civil society

NGOs, temples, schools, hospitals

In addition, the provision of social services should be able to move towards the elderly in the home.

For those who are unable to come out and receive services on their own and should support having

...Pick up at home to destination...Deliver back home as a volunteer or business.

From now on, the provision of social services for the elderly should give more importance to the elderly group who are alone.

Especially being alone without relatives, lack of friends.

Poor health... stuck in bed

because they are vulnerable elderly people

It should be necessary to monitor and take care of this group of elderly people specially.

Napaphat Sajanawakul

emphasizes on social care services for the elderly that

While Thai society is facing a rapidly aging population.

Currently, the trend of aging in place is an approach that is being promoted internationally to replace or slow the increase in institutional care.

Because in addition to being a concept that encourages the elderly to remain in their own "home" and "community", live independently and receive necessary care services to maintain a good quality of life.

It is still cheaper than living in a nursing home.

“Believe that...when you get older

If given a choice, most of us

(Not only Thai people) would want to live in our house more.

to bring himself to move into a nursing home or any other similar place

But many people may question whether ... can we really live in our own old house?

especially when there is no one to take care of…”

For this reason, we need to be organized.

under a comprehensive scope such as personal care such as helping with bathing and dressing, assistance in daily life such as food service, cleaning, gardening, paying bills, walking care. social activities such as taking errands to the doctor

But social care services also need to

to health services.

Overseas experience suggests that the

...should only act as a broker or associate builder.

of service arrangement

but encourages the private sector to act as a service provider under the standards of government supervision

If Thai society is alert...investing seriously in building a social care service system from today

In the future, don't worry.

Questioning each other again where we will live?

how?

When you get older.