Elderly Health Care at Community Level in Thailand

Abstract

A participatory action research was designed to explore the process of an elderly health care program development at the community level. The researcher acted as a facilitator of the elderly health care in the community. Qualitative data were collected through participatory observation and in-depth interview. The participants were health workers, health volunteers, and the elders selected from twelve elderly care units in 12 health regions of Thailand. The scope of study included enhancing workforce preparedness through cultural and social responsibility, provision of health care services to older adults in the communities, specific support groups, and increased community participation to improve health care quality for the elderly at the community level. This study indicated that every community had health services for the elderly across physical, psychological and social services. However, the coverage and capacity of service levels varied due to different social context and potential of culture and community. In summary, the models for health care of the elderly could be divided into three different levels: (1) the conventional practice model for elderly care, (2) the better practice model for elderly care, and (3) the best practice for elderly care.