Adapting to our older years

BY 2021, more than 20 per cent of Thailand’s population will be over the age of 60, making Thailand what is known as a “complete ageing” society. In almost every sector, preparations are being made to handle the problems that come with an ageing population and among them is Siriraj Hospital, which has not only opened a department dedicated to gerontology but has also joined with SCG Group to demonstrate how seniors can live safely at home. 
Despite its small size, the special “showroom” is on the third floor of Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital bathroom contains bathroom and bedroom, all equipped with fittings appropriate for the older generation..
“We deteriorate physically as we age and an older person having a fall is much more serious that it is for children or young people. The elderly have a high risk of fractures and complications. Fortunately this can be avoided. We have shared our knowledge and expertise in care and medication with SCG in designing rooms that are suitable for seniors,” says Professor Prasit Watanapa, dean of Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital. 
The best place for an older person to live, he stresses, is at home with his/her family and that home should be turned into a safe place. The centre’s model shows how handrails should be installed to support the elderly as they walk and offers some ideas for functional space that focuses on accident reduction and prevention.
The centre does however appreciate that not everyone has the money to “senior-proof” their homes and also suggests cheaper but appropriate materials, such as a handrail made of pipe or bamboo rather than the purpose-made stainless steel rail.
Dr Prasit adds that Siriraj is planning to open a larger Elderly Learning Centre in Samut Sakhon province. The new centre, which will be located on a 25-rai plot, is currently awaiting budget approval from the cabinet and will need two years to complete.
The centre, he says, will be neither hospice nor home for the elderly, but a venue to provide knowledge in caring for the elderly to help both seniors and their families prepare for the days when they are not so mobile. 
All too often, Dr Prasit adds, older people discharged from hospital are back soon afterwards because their homes haven’t been adjusted to make them accident proof. 
“As a hospital, we have to discharge patients because we need the beds so we don’t have space and time for other matters that help them to live properly at home. The centre will step into the gap,” he says.
The new centre will open to all including those who are not registered patients of Siriraj Hospital. Guideline and procedures will later be set to screen patients wanting to use the facility.