Population Ageing and the Well-Being of Older Persons in Thailand ...

Also reassuring is the finding that material assistance
from adult children has not diminished despite the
extensive social change that is often assumed to
undermine filial responsibility. Not only do the vast
majority of elderly receive at least some income from
children but the per cent who indicate that children
are their main source of support has changed little
during the last decade or so. Likewise encouraging
are findings concerning government welfare
allowances. Not only has the share of older persons
who receive them very substantially increased in
recent years but those in greatest need of assistance
are far more likely to receive an allowance than those
least in need. Thus the programmes is having
reasonable success in meeting its original goal. Still
there are likely significant numbers who sorely need
financial assistance but do not receive it.
The situation regarding gender equity among Thai
elderly is also relatively positive. Older women have
received less schooling than men but this disadvantage
will decline steadily over the next few decades. Older
women are also far more likely than men to be
widowed. However, for both men and women, not
having a spouse is not associated with lower perceived
income sufficiency or financial satisfaction. Perhaps
most encouraging is that older men and women are
similar with respect to the quality of their housing,
household possessions, and self-assessed adequacy of
income and satisfaction with financial situation.
Among married persons, women disproportionately
report low personal income and wealth compared to
men but as wives they may well benefit from the
husband’s income and wealth. Among unmarried
older persons, women fare at least as well as men.
Older men are substantially more likely than older
women to be currently gainfully employed, but it is
unclear whether continuing to work in old age is an
advantage or disadvantage.
Some results are less encouraging and point to needs
that should be taken into account when formulating
policy and programmes intended to ensure the
security and improve the well-being of the elderly as
population ageing proceeds. Substantial rural-urban
disparity persists. Rural elderly are less educated, less
literate, more likely to work, more dependent on their
own work for support, and have substantially lower
average incomes than their urban counterparts. They
are also substantially more likely to indicate that their
income is insufficient or only sometimes sufficient and
to express dissatisfaction with their financial situation.
Projections of the characteristics of the future elderly
population make clear that the family size of cohorts
entering the elderly age range will decline sharply in
the relatively near future. Given the current reliance
of older age Thais on their adult children for both
material support and personal care during periods of
illness and frailty, this change has potentially
significant implications that needs to be taken into
account in government planning for the future older
age population.
Health status
During most of their elderly years, older Thais are in
sufficient health to take care of themselves. The
typical period of dependence when a caregiver is
needed to carry out daily living activities is thus
relatively short consisting of only a few years. Also
the per cent of older persons who report their health
as good or very good has recently been increasing. A
substantial majority of older persons who have
difficulties with the most essential daily activities have
a personal caregiver. However, those who can carry
on basic activities of daily living on their own but have
mobility problems are far less likely to have a caregiver
assisting them.
Substantial gender differences with respect to health
among older Thais are evident. Older women in
Thailand, as in many other countries, generally have
more non-fatal health problems than men. At the
same time, older men are distinctly disadvantaged with
respect to life expectancy. Among elderly who have a
caregiver, wives most commonly fill this role for men
while children or children-in-law are the most
common caregivers for women. The difference is in
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