Lend a Hand

She proudly showed me; the special ID card granted to her when she worked on the construction of the Royal Palace in Bangkok. When I went to take a photo of her holding the ID card, she simply said: “you no can take.” I guess it had something to do with security.

Khun Pornpimon husband died years ago when lightning struck him as he was cutting sugar cane. Because she had to move often with the different jobs she and her husband had, her family is now spread all over Thailand where she stll lives in Nam Phong a small village in Esarn. At 87 years old, Pornpimon, like a growing number of her contemporaries, finds her poor and isolated.

Now should be their “golden age,” a time for them to take it easy, sit back and let their family take care of them. But, like so many elderly Thai parents, they have become a victim of a trend spreading throughout Asia. As the economies boom for some, new industries in urban areas expand, emerge and life expectances increase, the cultures of Asia are beginning to succumb to the ills that many used to believe were the sole possession of the more industrialized nations.

Conventional wisdom tells us that the older generation in Asia is taken care of by their children and extended families. If Norman Rockwell, the artist chronicler of the American lifestyle, were to paint a picture of a stereotypical Thai family, it would show a hardworking mother and father going out to battle the morning rush hour traffic as their children wave goodbye while bouncing on the knees of their smiling grandparents. The Thai culture’s strong family net-works will take care of their elders, right? Like a Rockwell painting, that idyllic picture is sadly turning into a lost dream for many.

Thailand has jumped into the industrialized world with a vengeance, and there have been dire consequences. Namely, many young people have gone where the money is and left their aging parents and grandparents back home in the village. Even though they can’t be at home with their parents, many of the modern younger generation have the goal of sending money home to help them out. But the stresses of an industrial nation’s lifestyle often get in the way of their well intentional plans.

And no amount of money will eliminate the feelings of loneliness that come with being separated from your family. Sometimes the older persons that are left behind slip into poverty. And many more fall into depression and loneliness with no family around to comfort them.

When so much of the population is under the age of 20, the needs of the older people drop to a low priority. Governments in Asia are experiencing increased pressure on their limited ability to provide social services. But as the number of young people in Asia grows, so does its older population. Over half of the worlds older people live in Asia now and by 2050 Asia will be home to almost two-thirds of the world’s older population.

They are going to need some help! The 500 baht the government gives to their seniors is not nearly compensation enough to cover their basic needs. Merle Haggard, an American country music legend sums it up best in one of his songs: “It might be social, but it sure isn’t any security.”

The age old system that has assured Thailand’s older folks a life free of poverty, full of meaning and close family ties is under attack. Mr. Boonrueng Prasert, the executive director of ABTA, (a Better Thailand for All) has been working for years trying to understand the social changes effecting Thailand’s older generation and what can be done to assist its aged population.

The problem of the aged being alone to care for them is new to Thailand and unfortunately it is growing. With new problems comes the need for new solutions. As the traditional Thai family becomes transformed into something new by the pressures of a modern industrial age it may now take a “helping hand” to help control the problems of poverty, and isolation in old age.