A recent article on Thailand's Bang Saen seaside town undergoing a major makeover to accommodate an ageing society put a smile on my face as the reality of reaching the day I become a senior citizen fast approaches.
Let's face it. When we reach our twilight years the type of abode we pick has to be designed in a manner that addresses our physical and emotional needs. Thus the thought of acquiring a modest home in close proximity to the beach and mountains is to say the least truly awesome.
Thai society by now should come to the realisation that the kingdom is on the verge of becoming a "complete-aged society".
According to the Situation Of The Thai Elderly Report 2017 by the Foundation of Thai Gerontology Research and Development Institute, Thailand in 2021 will become a "complete-aged society", when the proportion of people aged 60 years or older reaches 20% of the total population.
It further states that in the near future, Thailand will have 20 million seniors, with octogenarians more than doubling, from 1.5 million in 2017 to 3.5 million in the coming 20 years.
These figures are a wake-up call for middle-aged folks to seriously save for an accommodation that offers the peace one requires when you can no longer physically navigate the hustle and bustle of Bangkok life.
Furthermore, in my opinion, the faster one ditches the idea of depending on one's children, nieces and nephews during their old age, the better. The current rise in cases of physical/emotional abuse and abandonment of seniors in Thai society is a telling sign of the current predicament senior folks find themselves in.
If you have another decade before retirement, opening a fixed account where you start saving for the retirement home of your dreams is one way to go about preparing for the future.
Needless to say senior-housing projects have begun to open in key cities including Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and Chiang Mai in the past five years. All were developed by firms targeting active ageing or independent living senior people, both Thai and foreigners.
As the need for such housing projects continues to grow, I believe the price range will also drop with time as businesses compete with each other for clients. Furthermore, this offers hope that there will be something for every budget.
We often hear how Thai seniors prefer living in their existing homes than relocating to senior-housing projects, in my opinion this will soon change as more find what they benefit from residing in an abode designed with facilities for seniors in mind.
That is why I look forward to seeing just how the traditional beach town of Bang Saen develops into a community for elderly people. The fact that the municipality has sought cooperation from Japan's Okura Company, which has expertise and experience in the development of communities for the elderly, is one step in the right direction.
On infrastructure development, the municipality reportedly has a major landscaping plan for Bang Saen, which will include the reclamation of Wonnapa beach by extending it by about 30m into the sea along its 700m length.
It further added that the town will be divided into four zones, namely a residential zone, a commercial and services zone open around the clock, a green zone and a zone for family activities.
My first reaction: fantastic, much better than anything you get to find inside Bangkok where certain hi-end condominiums asking price start from 30 million baht. Location, next to a busy BTS station and human traffic throughout the day.
The report continued, telling us how the fish market on Wonnapa beach will be developed into a seafood market and the landscape in front of Burapha University will be revamped to improve traffic flow.The project will cost an estimated 600 million baht.
The fact that a condominium for the elderly, being built on Khao Lam Road, is soon to open late next year, only adds to the buzz this seaside town is creating of late.
Funding for the entire development project will come from municipal revenues, estimated at about 300 million baht a year, so fingers are crossed that these funds are used transparently.
It was interesting to discover that Bang Saen municipality has a registered population of some 47,000 and an additional 30,000 plus who are not registered. Its main source of income is from the estimated 2 million tourists who visit the town each year.
Needless to say this business endeavour should increase the annual revenues for Bang Saen by about 20%.
A winning situation on both ends.
Yvonne Bohwongprasert is a feature writer for the Life section of the Bangkok Post.