Adapting to an aging population

Currently, there are over 265,000 elderly people in Thai Nguyen province. To adapt to the aging population, Thai Nguyen has promoted many measures, especially in healthcare for the elderly. This has contributed to improving the quality of life for the people in the province.

Thai Nguyen Medical Center has organized home visits for elderly people to conduct medical examinations.

Although the average life expectancy of people in Thai Nguyen has increased, the number of elderly people living healthy lives with good quality of life is not high. Therefore, in the period 2021-2025, the province has implemented the Elderly Healthcare Program.

Thanks to the active involvement of all levels and functional sectors, indicators regarding healthcare for the elderly in the province have increased year by year. While in 2021, only over 35% of the approximately 180,000 elderly people in Thai Nguyen received regular health check-ups, this number has now reached nearly 56%.

Dr. Phan Thanh Nhung, Deputy Head of the Outpatient Department (Thai Nguyen Central Hospital), said: Maintaining regular health check-ups not only helps the elderly detect and treat non-communicable diseases early, but also provides them with advice on how to protect their health, from diet to exercise…

Accordingly, the number of elderly people with newly established health records has also increased significantly, reaching nearly 95,000 to date. In addition, the percentage of communes and wards with self-care clubs for the elderly has reached 85%; the percentage of elderly people receiving health counseling and communication has reached 76.4%; and the percentage of elderly people with health insurance cards has reached 98%.

In particular, many community communication models and health clubs for the elderly have proven effective, creating a positive ripple effect in society (over the past 5 years, more than 4,800 sessions have been organized with over 42,400 elderly participants).

Thanks to numerous efforts, the province now has three healthcare facilities for the elderly: the Provincial Center for Social Protection and Social Work, the Thai Nguyen Center for Mental and Neurological Rehabilitation and Nursing (managed by the health sector), and one privately owned center, the Huong Ha Nguyet Social Protection Center (managed by the Provincial People's Committee). This has helped to better provide healthcare for the elderly and adapt to the aging population.

Ms. Tieu Thi Van Hanh, Deputy Director of the Department of Health, said: "To achieve the above-mentioned positive results, the department annually implements plans and official documents assigning specific targets and activities to the grassroots level. At the same time, we coordinate with local authorities to organize the 'Integrated communication campaign providing health check-up services and screening for some common diseases among the elderly in ethnic minority and mountainous areas'."

To date, nearly 56% of elderly people in Thai Nguyen province have received regular health check-ups, an increase of over 20% compared to 2021.

The sector has actively organized seminars on healthcare for the elderly, providing guidance on physical exercise, improving health, and preventing diseases, especially common diseases among the elderly.

In addition, a network of volunteers has been established to support health centers in monitoring and caring for the health of the elderly, especially those living alone, and managing chronic and non-communicable diseases at home. Over the past five years, 854 volunteers have organized more than 2,070 home visits to elderly people.

Despite positive results, adaptation activities to the aging population in the province still face several limitations, such as: provincial hospitals have not yet established geriatrics departments or separate examination rooms for the elderly; and there are no medical staff trained in geriatrics.

The provision of healthcare knowledge for the elderly is mainly integrated into other programs, so communication activities on caregiving skills for the elderly, as well as self-care skills for the elderly, are limited. The budget allocated to healthcare activities for the elderly is also limited…

To achieve greater effectiveness, in the coming period, the province should continue to expand and improve the capacity for care, examination, and treatment of the elderly; strengthen the training of caregivers and medical professionals in the care of the elderly. In particular, it should promote social mobilization and utilize diverse resources to meet the increasingly high demands for healthcare and cultural activities of the elderly, as well as improve the social security system and the healthcare, cultural, and social infrastructure for the elderly…

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/202512/thich-ung-voi-gia-hoa-dan-so-add62b4/