Homes for the elderly 'in dire state'

Homes for the elderly 'in dire state'

Bangkok's two main state-run facilities for the elderly are in dire need of funding and staff and must be upgraded, the Bangkok city council was told yesterday.

The council was deliberating a motion filed by councillor Suthipong Wongbooppa to improve basic state-run services and facilities offered to the elderly in Bangkok.

Mr Suthipong said welfare for elderly people must be put on the national agenda to ensure enough support is provided.

He said 2016 figures from the Department Of Provincial Administration showed there were more than 900,000 elderly people nationwide.

However, only two state-run facilities are up and running which cater to the elderly in Bangkok.

They are the Din Daeng service centre for the elderly and the Ban Bang Khae II home.

The latter, now run by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) was previously under Ministry of Social Development and Human Security's control.

Mr Suthipong said the Ban Bang Khae II home has the capacity to accommodate only 144 people and has a long waiting list.

Currently, there are five people there who are bed-ridden, 35 dependent on others' help and 104 who are able to take care of themselves.

According to Mr Suthipong, the waiting list is long because vacancies only come up when someone dies. On average about eight people pass away each year.

In most cases, relatives of the deceased are not reachable, which means the facility must take care of the funerals.

The home must bear all the expenses associated with funeral rites, he added.

Mr Suthipong said the home only receives a budget of 11 million baht a year from the BMA and he has asked for more. However, his request was rejected.

The home is also run-down and medical equipment is needed help those in poor health.

Meanwhile, the Din Daeng centre, which provides short-term accommodation for the elderly, faces similar budgetary constraints.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (2)