One in five elderly living alone
Nearly one in five elderly Thais now lives alone, as society sees an increase in 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. Dr Yaowarat, a Bangkok physician who is president of the Planned Parenthood Association of Thailand, presented an 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, she 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. More than 80 per cent of the elderly 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. Many of the elderly suffered from malnutrition, she said, in addition to common ailments such as asthma, diabetes, anaemia, cancer, kidney failure, degenerative joints, high cholesterol and hypertension.
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