Social Welfare for Older Persons in Thailand: Policy and Recommendation

Abstract

Social welfare is an essential service system for older persons in Thailand, especially when Thailand hasbecome an “Aging Society”. Knowledge on social welfare for older persons enables nurses to provide highquality of care for older persons. This descriptive study aimed to explore the perceptions of key stakeholdersabout the factors contributing to success and the barriers to the current social welfare system for older personsin Thailand. A total sample of 45 from snowball sampling included 30 key informants from various sectors(government, private sector, and non-government organization), 10 Thai older persons, and 5 communityleaders from 4 main parts of Thailand. Data collection included in-depth interview and stakeholder meeting.Interview guideline and main issues for public meeting were used for data collection. Data were analyzedby content analysis and thematic analysis.The findings revealed that the factors contributing to success of social welfare for older persons inThailand included self-reliance, updated data, and community participation. The barriers to social welfarefor older persons were the implementation of the policies, lack of integration in practices, the administrationof the community saving fund, and accessibility to health services. Recommendations for policy makersand practitioners for developing a suitable social welfare system for older persons in Thailand includeplanning for income security, promoting self-reliance, improving social welfare for older persons’ health, andsupporting well-being and dignity of older persons.