Thailand boosts community-based elderly care with Japanese help

In Bueng Yitho municipality in Pathum Thani Province, central Thailand, a range of advanced programs has been introduced, including the launch of the country's first municipally operated day care center for older residents.

These initiatives are being carried out in cooperation with various partners, including the town of Yugawara in Kanagawa Prefecture, eastern Japan, and the nonprofit organization Nogezaka-Glocal in Yokohama, the prefecture's capital.

Home care by families

In 2023, people aged 60 and older accounted for more than 20 pct of Thailand's population. In Bueng Yitho, a municipality located about 40 kilometers north of Bangkok, roughly 6,400 of its 34,000 residents are in the age bracket.

The municipality began addressing the challenges of an aging society in earnest in 2012. Mayor Rungsarn Nantakawong said the issue became increasingly apparent during repeated support visits to slum communities, where the growing number of elderly residents highlighted the need for greater assistance.

In Thailand, care for people who require nursing support is still provided mainly at home by family members. Certified paid volunteers also help with nursing care and daily living assistance, but the country's public nursing care system and service infrastructure remain underdeveloped.

In response, Bueng Yitho launched a pioneering day care center in 2019.

Users pay 300 baht--about 1,490 yen--per day including transportation.

The center places a strong emphasis on rehabilitation, with eight physical therapists on staff.

Some of its recreational equipment was developed with reference to examples from Japan.

The facility was created partly on the basis of research by municipal officials into Japan's experience with elderly care.

Seeking practical and effective ways to support local seniors, the mayor, along with municipal staff and nurses, visited nursing care facilities in Yugawara numerous times to observe operations at firsthand.

Later, after listening to requests from older residents for a place to spend time during the day, officials decided to introduce day care and related services as a complement to the community's home-based care model.

A 54-year-old woman said she comes to the center once a week because she has no one to talk to at home during the day.

Smiling, she said the facility offers meals that are "good for health" and provides "opportunities to communicate with other people."

According to officials, the center serves eight to 10 users daily.

Personalized support

As part of its efforts to protect residents' health, Bueng Yitho has established a health screening center to increase the number of people receiving regular medical checkups.

To encourage greater participation by men in local community activities, it has also opened a venue where older adults can gather for drinks.

In addition, the municipality is working to provide a wide range of support tailored to residents' individual needs, including long-term residential care facilities and nursing homes with full-time nurses on site.

According to a research report, more than 60 pct of elderly care facilities in Thailand are concentrated in the suburbs of Bangkok, raising concerns about potential future shortages in other regions.

Rie Komahashi, deputy director of the Thailand office of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, praised the programs being implemented in Bueng Yitho. The municipality, Komahashi said, has "developed a unique style of support for the elderly centered on community care while looking to Japan as a reference."

Bueng Yitho and Yugawara concluded a cooperation agreement in 2019.

In their collaboration, both municipalities place strong emphasis on learning from each other.

Drawing on Thailand's experience, Yugawara introduced a paid volunteer system staffed by senior citizens in 2025, with the aim of helping older people find a greater sense of purpose.

"Through these exchanges, the idea of supporting elderly people across the entire community is beginning to take root," an official in the town's regional policy section said.

Rapid population aging is a common challenge facing many countries across Asia. Interest is growing not only in caregiving expertise, but also in areas such as health promotion and dementia care.

In Thailand, 39 local governments have formed a network to share information on elderly care, with hopes to expand the initiative to neighboring countries.