Elderly Day Care Project

Thailand has now achieved the status of an aged society, with 17% of its population which is 12 million people, being over the age of 60.

One of the growing situations faced by the rising number of the elderly is that they do not have any one to look after them during the day, because either they live alone,  or even if they are not alone, family or relatives go out to work during the day leaving them by themselves. This poses a certain problem for them, as many with physical frailty, high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease become invalids and cannot move, plus also they suffer from a sense of desolation or abandonment which leads to depression.

To address this situation, the Order of Malta Thailand in collaboration with the Faculty of Nursing at St. Theresa International College is implementing an ‘Elderly Day Care project’ for elderly living alone or with no one to take care of them during the day, from communities around Nakhon Nayok or nearby provinces, who are over 60 years old and who either are generally healthy or with manageable  Non Communicable Diseases, who can help themselves.

The Elderly Day Care project provides informative sessions on health, nutrition and self-care along with group activities such as (light) strengthening exercises, mental exercises as well as creating opportunities for building friendships between the participants themselves.

In addition to this, the project serves as a means of knowledge and  practical training for volunteers who want to care for the elderly. It can also be a model to develop subsequent projects.

What this transpires into really is, that it helps raise the quality of life for the elderly and promotes a holistic well-being approach. The activities range from basic health and muscle flexibility checks to cognitive activities (memory games, problem solving etc.) to activities that help to examine and identify their emotions. They also participate in fun and recreational activities like traditional Thai dance, music, art and handicrafts and also learn how to create herbal supplements and its benefits.

This raises the elderly’s quality of life, builds up stamina, helps foster worthiness and acceptance, inner strength and confidence. It provides integrity and could motivate the elderly to serve as well.