The home livens up over Songkran as residents play games and join beauty pageants.
BANGKOK (IHT Thai Day),
April 28, 2006:
How do the elderly and abandoned residents of the Thailand’s most famous foster home celebrate Songkran?
As Songkran approaches, Boontham Chareonmak, 86, can hardly contain herself. For the first time in her life, this elderly lady will be in a beauty contest for Miss Songkran at Baan Bangkae, a famous state-run foster home in Bangkok for abandoned senior citizens. The contestants are all residents in the nearby community. Boontham has chosen to wear a traditional sarong, hoping to become the oldest Miss Songkran of the year.
“I’m excited. I’ve never been on stage or talked into a microphone before. [The Baan Bangkae staff] picked me as the home’s representative for the contest, maybe because the others are too old and don’t look so fresh,” smiles Boontham, who has no family and has been living in the foster home for 13 years.
Already, Baan Bangkae has been overrun for the Songkran holiday week. A stream of organizations have been hosting lunches and dinners for the elderly residents with meal schedules booked up for the next several days. Students, office workers and community members have also been walking in to donate money, milk, snacks and other products to the old folks.
The bustling scene at the nursing home is not uncommon at this time of year. There is a strong link between Songkran and the elderly, which explains why the usually-quiet foster home is so abuzz with activity. There is much more to the Songkran festival than merely getting wet and drenching foreigners on Khao San Road. As well as bringing the family together, Songkran is a chance for the young to pay respect to elders and ask for their blessing. It is also a time for the children to ask their elderly relatives to absolve their wrongdoings.
Traditionally, the young kneel down before their parents, grandparents and other aged relatives, and pour scented water on their hands. Laying their hands on the child’s head in return, the elders wish them good luck and prosperity. This ritual of gratitude was made official in 1982 when the government designated every April 13 as National Elder’s Day.
For many old folks at Baan Bangkae, who have been abandoned by their children, Songkran provides the only opportunity to experience first-hand someone, albeit a stranger, expressing such respect.
“I’ve never had such an experience before,” says Somjit Charoensopha, 76, who has lived at Baan Bangkae for about a year. Police found Somjit abandoned at a temple in Bangkok last year. She was returned home by authorities but her nephew, whom she raised since he was young, and her niece-in-law, refused to take her back.
On Songkran Day, Somjit and several other elders at the foster home have been invited to a ceremony organized at a nearby department store. There, they will bless shoppers who will come to pour scented water on their hands. The other residents of Baan Bangkae will receive the same treatment from the foster home’s staff.
“We try to make the elders feel at home. We will be their children or grandchildren instead of [just their] staff. We try to make them feel like they have self-value and we respect them,” says Umaporn Phongjit, a social worker at Baan Bangkae.
For the past few years, more people, mostly residents of nearby communities, have joined the elders in celebrating Songkran at Baan Bangkae after authorities promoted public participation and initiated more activities including a sand pagoda-making competition and the beauty contest. Officials have warned visitors not to ask the elders about their past. All activities with the wider community aim to make the elders at Baan Bangkae feel more connected with society while boosting their self-esteem.
Yesterday was National Elder’s Day.
Most of the elders at Baan Bangkae, including Somjit, said they enjoy the crowds, but they have no wishes for the new year.
When the festival ends, life returns to normal at Baan Bangkae. Things are quiet and not so cheerful. In every part of the aged care facility, which is separated into different buildings, elders sit by themselves gazing out into the distance. Their sleeping quarters consist of open-plan dormitories lined with single beds and cabinets. Many of the elders who are unable to care for themselves or suffer severe Alzheimer’s are separated from the more robust residents. They share a large, gloomy room divided into barred cells for nurses to feed and clean them through. The smell of fouled sheets occasionally wafts through the air.
Yet, Baan Bangkae is regarded as the best state-run foster home in Thailand. Established in 1953 during Field Marshall Plaek Pibulsongkram’s government, the home welcomed any elderly person who felt unhappy living with their families. So, in the beginning, Baan Bangkae was home for an elderly elite who found it more fun living with people their age than facing age-gap problems at home.
But as time passed, the aged care facility became a home for the aged poor with nowhere to go and no one to look after them. Some were living alone in dilapidated houses with the help of neighbors. Many were left abandoned at hospitals or temples, and some were even tortured by their children. The Elderly Act to protect the rights of senior citizens only came into effect in 2003.
Ostensibly, Baan Bangkae is a saving grace for many aged poor. The foster home provided three meals a day; housemaids clean their rooms, clothes and bedsheets; social workers counsel them when they have problems; and nurses and physical therapists take care of them when they fall ill.
Today, application rates are increasing. Baan Bangkae receives about 100 phone calls a month from people wanting to deposit their parents at the home. Officials say the shift comes from the rise of modern lifestyles.
“Society is changing. In the past, we lived with an extended family and there was always someone to take care of the elders,” says Umaporn. “But today, people tend to have nuclear families. [Children] move out when they get married. And with society becoming more materialistic, young people have become busy trying to make a living. They go to the city for work and leave their parents alone. At first they send them money, but when life becomes harder, many of them stop sending money and disappear. The elders are being abandoned.”
Nearly 30,000 elders with no income have been left to fend for themselves this year, compared with about 27,000 three years ago, says the Bureau for the Empowerment for Older Persons of the Social Development and Human Security Ministry. Of the 21 state-run aged care facilities nationwide, Baan Bangkae takes care of more than 200 people. However, this once fine home can no longer welcome just anyone. These days, beds are reserved only for the most needy.
“We cannot accept everyone. Our policy now is to do our best to keep elders with their families or within the community if there’s someone taking care of them. We have to explain to and encourage all the people who phone us that it is better for the elderly that way,” says Umaporn.
In an attempt to avoid elders ending up in nursing homes, the government has come up with several projects. In one scheme, the state allots a 300-baht monthly allowance for families supporting an older relative. The state also organizes regular family trips and activities to strengthen relations among family members. The Bangkae community has hired about 50 volunteers who make home visits to the elderly in the area.
Senior citizens with rundown homes will also receive financial support from the government to repair their property. At the same time, authorities are gleaning from elders knowledge and skills, such as cooking, which can be used to promote and preserve traditions in public schools and communities.
The proportion of elderly in the population is growing. Professor Kua Wongboonsin of Chulalongkorn University’s college of population studies said the country is moving towards an aging society with the number of elderly citizens expected to rise from 10 percent of total population today to 20 percent, or around 14 million, in the next 25 years.
About 6.8 million people are aged over 60, compared with 6.3 million in 2003. Next year, the anticipated figure is seven million, according to the National Economic and Social Advisory Board. The trend is raising concern in the government because most elderly people lack savings funds or financial security, and many suffer from physical illness and mental difficulties in coping with modern society.
Kua said that people need to ensure that they enjoy healthy and active lives when they are elderly while the labor force needs to become more economically capable to care for aging family members as well as themselves in the future. “One problem is that Thai elders have never prepared themselves for growing old before. They have never been told about retirement savings. They haven’t prepared themselves to be healthy in old age. Baan Bangkae is full of sickness and this trend will keep rising,” says Umaporn.
Yet, most of society remains unaware of the issue and the campaign to prepare people to become secure and healthy senior citizens is insufficient to solve the problem, she says.
“The government will have to do more,” says Umaporn.
Copyright ©1999-2006
Thaiday Dot Com Co., Ltd.
The home livens up over Songkran as residents play games and join beauty pageants.
BANGKOK (IHT Thai Day),
April 28, 2006:
How do the elderly and abandoned residents of the Thailand’s most famous foster home celebrate Songkran?
As Songkran approaches, Boontham Chareonmak, 86, can hardly contain herself. For the first time in her life, this elderly lady will be in a beauty contest for Miss Songkran at Baan Bangkae, a famous state-run foster home in Bangkok for abandoned senior citizens. The contestants are all residents in the nearby community. Boontham has chosen to wear a traditional sarong, hoping to become the oldest Miss Songkran of the year.
“I’m excited. I’ve never been on stage or talked into a microphone before. [The Baan Bangkae staff] picked me as the home’s representative for the contest, maybe because the others are too old and don’t look so fresh,” smiles Boontham, who has no family and has been living in the foster home for 13 years.
Already, Baan Bangkae has been overrun for the Songkran holiday week. A stream of organizations have been hosting lunches and dinners for the elderly residents with meal schedules booked up for the next several days. Students, office workers and community members have also been walking in to donate money, milk, snacks and other products to the old folks.
The bustling scene at the nursing home is not uncommon at this time of year. There is a strong link between Songkran and the elderly, which explains why the usually-quiet foster home is so abuzz with activity. There is much more to the Songkran festival than merely getting wet and drenching foreigners on Khao San Road. As well as bringing the family together, Songkran is a chance for the young to pay respect to elders and ask for their blessing. It is also a time for the children to ask their elderly relatives to absolve their wrongdoings.
Traditionally, the young kneel down before their parents, grandparents and other aged relatives, and pour scented water on their hands. Laying their hands on the child’s head in return, the elders wish them good luck and prosperity. This ritual of gratitude was made official in 1982 when the government designated every April 13 as National Elder’s Day.
For many old folks at Baan Bangkae, who have been abandoned by their children, Songkran provides the only opportunity to experience first-hand someone, albeit a stranger, expressing such respect.
“I’ve never had such an experience before,” says Somjit Charoensopha, 76, who has lived at Baan Bangkae for about a year. Police found Somjit abandoned at a temple in Bangkok last year. She was returned home by authorities but her nephew, whom she raised since he was young, and her niece-in-law, refused to take her back.
On Songkran Day, Somjit and several other elders at the foster home have been invited to a ceremony organized at a nearby department store. There, they will bless shoppers who will come to pour scented water on their hands. The other residents of Baan Bangkae will receive the same treatment from the foster home’s staff.
“We try to make the elders feel at home. We will be their children or grandchildren instead of [just their] staff. We try to make them feel like they have self-value and we respect them,” says Umaporn Phongjit, a social worker at Baan Bangkae.
For the past few years, more people, mostly residents of nearby communities, have joined the elders in celebrating Songkran at Baan Bangkae after authorities promoted public participation and initiated more activities including a sand pagoda-making competition and the beauty contest. Officials have warned visitors not to ask the elders about their past. All activities with the wider community aim to make the elders at Baan Bangkae feel more connected with society while boosting their self-esteem.
Yesterday was National Elder’s Day.
Most of the elders at Baan Bangkae, including Somjit, said they enjoy the crowds, but they have no wishes for the new year.
When the festival ends, life returns to normal at Baan Bangkae. Things are quiet and not so cheerful. In every part of the aged care facility, which is separated into different buildings, elders sit by themselves gazing out into the distance. Their sleeping quarters consist of open-plan dormitories lined with single beds and cabinets. Many of the elders who are unable to care for themselves or suffer severe Alzheimer’s are separated from the more robust residents. They share a large, gloomy room divided into barred cells for nurses to feed and clean them through. The smell of fouled sheets occasionally wafts through the air.
Yet, Baan Bangkae is regarded as the best state-run foster home in Thailand. Established in 1953 during Field Marshall Plaek Pibulsongkram’s government, the home welcomed any elderly person who felt unhappy living with their families. So, in the beginning, Baan Bangkae was home for an elderly elite who found it more fun living with people their age than facing age-gap problems at home.
But as time passed, the aged care facility became a home for the aged poor with nowhere to go and no one to look after them. Some were living alone in dilapidated houses with the help of neighbors. Many were left abandoned at hospitals or temples, and some were even tortured by their children. The Elderly Act to protect the rights of senior citizens only came into effect in 2003.
Ostensibly, Baan Bangkae is a saving grace for many aged poor. The foster home provided three meals a day; housemaids clean their rooms, clothes and bedsheets; social workers counsel them when they have problems; and nurses and physical therapists take care of them when they fall ill.
Today, application rates are increasing. Baan Bangkae receives about 100 phone calls a month from people wanting to deposit their parents at the home. Officials say the shift comes from the rise of modern lifestyles.
“Society is changing. In the past, we lived with an extended family and there was always someone to take care of the elders,” says Umaporn. “But today, people tend to have nuclear families. [Children] move out when they get married. And with society becoming more materialistic, young people have become busy trying to make a living. They go to the city for work and leave their parents alone. At first they send them money, but when life becomes harder, many of them stop sending money and disappear. The elders are being abandoned.”
Nearly 30,000 elders with no income have been left to fend for themselves this year, compared with about 27,000 three years ago, says the Bureau for the Empowerment for Older Persons of the Social Development and Human Security Ministry. Of the 21 state-run aged care facilities nationwide, Baan Bangkae takes care of more than 200 people. However, this once fine home can no longer welcome just anyone. These days, beds are reserved only for the most needy.
“We cannot accept everyone. Our policy now is to do our best to keep elders with their families or within the community if there’s someone taking care of them. We have to explain to and encourage all the people who phone us that it is better for the elderly that way,” says Umaporn.
In an attempt to avoid elders ending up in nursing homes, the government has come up with several projects. In one scheme, the state allots a 300-baht monthly allowance for families supporting an older relative. The state also organizes regular family trips and activities to strengthen relations among family members. The Bangkae community has hired about 50 volunteers who make home visits to the elderly in the area.
Senior citizens with rundown homes will also receive financial support from the government to repair their property. At the same time, authorities are gleaning from elders knowledge and skills, such as cooking, which can be used to promote and preserve traditions in public schools and communities.
The proportion of elderly in the population is growing. Professor Kua Wongboonsin of Chulalongkorn University’s college of population studies said the country is moving towards an aging society with the number of elderly citizens expected to rise from 10 percent of total population today to 20 percent, or around 14 million, in the next 25 years.
About 6.8 million people are aged over 60, compared with 6.3 million in 2003. Next year, the anticipated figure is seven million, according to the National Economic and Social Advisory Board. The trend is raising concern in the government because most elderly people lack savings funds or financial security, and many suffer from physical illness and mental difficulties in coping with modern society.
Kua said that people need to ensure that they enjoy healthy and active lives when they are elderly while the labor force needs to become more economically capable to care for aging family members as well as themselves in the future. “One problem is that Thai elders have never prepared themselves for growing old before. They have never been told about retirement savings. They haven’t prepared themselves to be healthy in old age. Baan Bangkae is full of sickness and this trend will keep rising,” says Umaporn.
Yet, most of society remains unaware of the issue and the campaign to prepare people to become secure and healthy senior citizens is insufficient to solve the problem, she says.
“The government will have to do more,” says Umaporn.
Copyright ©1999-2006
Thaiday Dot Com Co., Ltd.
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