Senior citizens in Vietnam (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam will become a “super-aging” country by2050, however, the country is not prepared to adapt to the rapid pace of agingand provide good care for the growing elderly population, heard a workshopin Hanoi on December 12.
“The Workshop on Aging Population and Health: The LongitudinalStudy and the Role of Population Collaborators in Community Based Care forOlder People” was held by the General Departmentfor Population and Family Planning (GOPFP) under theMinistry of Health in partnershipwith the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Economic ResearchInstitute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) of Japan and the Institute ofPopulation, Health and Development (PHAD).
Population aging is one of the most significant social transformationsglobally with one in 11 people in the world over age 65 this year, saidGOPFP Deputy General Director Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan in her opening remarks.
Vietnam officially entered an “aging phase” in 2011 with 7 percent of thepopulation above age 65, she said. This year, the figure grew to 8.3 percent,equivalent to over 8 million people.
Such rapid pace of aging has placed great burden onVietnam’s health care for the elderlybut the country has yet to prepare for that, she said.
In 2018, the ERIA teamed up with the PHAD to conduct a longitudinal study onthe older people and health of the elderly on about 6,050 older people in 10cities and provinces in Vietnam from December 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019.
The findings show that over 57 percent of old people asked were women, over 82 percent of them got married, and about 70 percent lived in rural areas. Thepercentage of the older people who live alone is relatively low, around 11percent for women and 4 percent for men.
It also reveals the elderly’s health status. Accordingly, more than 62percent of the respondents said they were suffering from high blood pressure,86 percent of whom were receiving treatment. About 40 percent didnot know they have high blood pressure.
About 56 percent were satisfied with sleep, over 6 percent showed signsof depression and 4.4 percent showed signs of dementia. About 91 percent owneda health insurance card.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, a programme official from theUNFPA, said that the population aging in Vietnam is partly due to falling birthrates in all six socio-economic regions and ethnic minority groups.
Vietnam needs to have a health care strategy and ensure good health for theelderly during their life circle, he said, stressing the importance of initialhealth care, preventive care, medical and non-medical care, health careservices at home and in the community./.
“The Workshop on Aging Population and Health: The LongitudinalStudy and the Role of Population Collaborators in Community Based Care forOlder People” was held by the General Departmentfor Population and Family Planning (GOPFP) under theMinistry of Health in partnershipwith the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Economic ResearchInstitute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) of Japan and the Institute ofPopulation, Health and Development (PHAD).
Population aging is one of the most significant social transformationsglobally with one in 11 people in the world over age 65 this year, saidGOPFP Deputy General Director Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan in her opening remarks.
Vietnam officially entered an “aging phase” in 2011 with 7 percent of thepopulation above age 65, she said. This year, the figure grew to 8.3 percent,equivalent to over 8 million people.
Such rapid pace of aging has placed great burden onVietnam’s health care for the elderlybut the country has yet to prepare for that, she said.
In 2018, the ERIA teamed up with the PHAD to conduct a longitudinal study onthe older people and health of the elderly on about 6,050 older people in 10cities and provinces in Vietnam from December 1, 2018 to May 31, 2019.
The findings show that over 57 percent of old people asked were women, over 82 percent of them got married, and about 70 percent lived in rural areas. Thepercentage of the older people who live alone is relatively low, around 11percent for women and 4 percent for men.
It also reveals the elderly’s health status. Accordingly, more than 62percent of the respondents said they were suffering from high blood pressure,86 percent of whom were receiving treatment. About 40 percent didnot know they have high blood pressure.
About 56 percent were satisfied with sleep, over 6 percent showed signsof depression and 4.4 percent showed signs of dementia. About 91 percent owneda health insurance card.
Speaking at the event, Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, a programme official from theUNFPA, said that the population aging in Vietnam is partly due to falling birthrates in all six socio-economic regions and ethnic minority groups.
Vietnam needs to have a health care strategy and ensure good health for theelderly during their life circle, he said, stressing the importance of initialhealth care, preventive care, medical and non-medical care, health careservices at home and in the community./.
VNA
