What We Need To Solve The Urgent Crisis Of And How To Develop Sustainable Long Term Care In Thailand: Policy Makers’ Perspectives

ABSTRACT

@#Thailand’s growing aging population who have increased longevity has resulted in an upsurge in disability and the expectation of chronic diseases. The demand for increased care challenges the government to develop treatment and long-term management procedures. This study explores the following two objectives: 1) identifying policies for intervention that improve the quality of life of the elderly; and 2) developing a sustainable and feasible ten-year delivery system for Long Term Care (LTC). We conducted comprehensive interviews with 8 male and 3 female policy makers on LTC development for the elderly in Thailand and analyzed these transcripts by using NVivo 8 data analysis. Two independent investigations that contain thematic codes have been developed from the transcript subset’s first set. Six of the identified issues – care services imbalance, poor management, skill search, health workforce scarcity, regulations, and information system problems – are considered urgent and require a solution. The surveys reiterate that an LTC scheme will become family- and community-based in a decade. The improvements in the quality of life for elderly patients with long-term conditions are accomplished through integrated services, regulatory system consolidation, an LTC workforce, infrastructure delivery, and investment in elderly health groups. LTC must use an all-inclusive societal policy.