Somkid Somsri, director-general of the Older Persons Department, said at a meeting last week that the centres would promote quality of life and work for the greying population.
“We will set up these centres via the Elderly Fund,” he said.
Somkid said his department would establish compliance standards for centres, but would put them under the supervision of local administrative bodies.
Earlier this month, the Cabinet approved a bill to finance the Elderly Fund with an additional 2 per cent increase in excise taxes on cigarettes and alcohol sales.
Thailand officially became an ageing society in 2005 and, within four years, it will be considered a full-fledged aged society. Estimates show elderly Thais will account for 28 per cent of the country’s total population by 2031.
Jinanggoon Rojananan, a senior adviser in policy and planning at the National Economic and Social Development Board, said the growing elderly population meant the government would have a bigger burden in providing welfare to its older citizens, particularly for healthcare.
“We have to focus on empowering the elderly,” she said.
The 12th National Economic and Social Development Plan would address the need to empower people in the demographic, Jinanggoon said, adding that with the right policies, older people might not have to wait for help but could contribute to driving the country’s economy.