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Day Centre to Open
for Elderly Tsunami Victims
MCOT
Thailand
March 22, 2005
Travel Thailand.com
Media reports on the December tsunamis have often focused on young victims, but in Thailand's six southern Andaman provinces affected by the disaster, the Department of Medical Services is quietly working to treat some of the tsunamis' more senior survivors.
Speaking yesterday of the urgent need to address the concerns of the estimated 1,238 elderly tsunami survivors, the department's Director-General, Dr. Chatri Banchuin, noted that older people, many of whom already had health problems prior to the disaster, were forced by the tsunamis to lose loved ones and in some cases suddenly found themselves living alone.
The department now plans to construct day centres for the elderly in all the six provinces affected by the tsunamis, including Phuket, Phang-nga, Krabi, Trang, Ranong and Satun, with the first due to be opened at the end of this month in Phang-nga.
The centres will work to encourage elderly survivors to care for their health, and will be able to make early diagnosis of the diseases.
Equipped with a range of exercise equipment, the centres, which will be staffed by local health officials and volunteers, will aim to ensure that the region's old people remain in good health.
According to Dr. Woraporn Phumisawat, Director of the Institute of Geriatric Medicine, the majority of elderly tsunami survivors remain both physically and mentally weak following the disaster.
The centres will, thus, also serve as places where the elderly can learn new skills, including batik fabric making and artificial flower making, in order that they can use their free time constructively.
Volunteers at the centres will assess the health conditions of the elderly visitors every three months, which will give health officials a clearer picture of some of the issues that the elderly are facing.
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