Only 5.32 percent of Vietnam's elderly are in good health, theCentre for Ageing Support and Community Development has reported.
Health care for the elderly is one of the key targets under the National Programme for the Elderly 2011-15.
A pilot model of health consultation for the aged population isbeing implemented by Hoa Thuong Commune's Elderly Association in thenorthern province of Thai Nguyen.
Association ChairwomanNguyen Thanh Thuy said after one year of operation, the model hashelped local elderly people - mainly farmers - to understand symptomsand prevention of high and low blood pressure and heart disease.
The association's survey figures show about 95 percent of local elderlysuffer from chronic diseases, including 54 percent registering boneand joint problems and 46.1 percent having contracted respiratorydiseases.
"The association informs elderly people aboutblood pressure, diabetes and heart issues and instructs them to eathealthily to prevent disease," Thuy said.
The association has also launched a programme for young volunteer care givers to visit the elderly at home.
This is one of many pilot programmes that are set up and funded by the Vietnam National Committee on Ageing.
Despite initial success, a lack of infrastructure, funding and humanresources to operate the programme effectively have been blamed fordifficulties the association has faced.
Ten medical staffincluding one doctor in the commune's medical centre have gone out oftheir way to monitor the health of more than 1,100 elderly and nearly11,000 local people.
The Vietnam Elderly Association andcivil society organisations have found some solutions to improve theprogramme, a Vietnam Association of the Elderly spokesperson said.
If successful, the programme is expected to be endorsed nation-wide aspart of a plan to pay more attention to the health of the elderly, whonow account for 10 percent of the national population, he said.
Figures from the General Statistics Office show the number of elderlywill grow to 16.8 percent of the national population by 2029.
Up to 70 percent of the elderly now have little or no savings and only20 percent receive a pension or social welfare, with 73 percent of theaged population living in rural areas.
Le Van Nhan, fromthe Vietnam Association of the Elderly said, "it's time to pay moreattentions to the elderly," adding that very few programmes for theelderly had been set up and only half of the nation's elderly havehealth insurance cards.
The Vietnam Association of theElderly has co-operated with the Vietnam National Committee for theElderly to compile documents to form and implement nation-wide aged-carepolicies, said association representative Pham Tuyet Nhung.
In a related move, the association responded to the International Dayof Older Persons on October 1 by calling on civil organisations to domore to help older people access social and medical services./.
Health care for the elderly is one of the key targets under the National Programme for the Elderly 2011-15.
A pilot model of health consultation for the aged population isbeing implemented by Hoa Thuong Commune's Elderly Association in thenorthern province of Thai Nguyen.
Association ChairwomanNguyen Thanh Thuy said after one year of operation, the model hashelped local elderly people - mainly farmers - to understand symptomsand prevention of high and low blood pressure and heart disease.
The association's survey figures show about 95 percent of local elderlysuffer from chronic diseases, including 54 percent registering boneand joint problems and 46.1 percent having contracted respiratorydiseases.
"The association informs elderly people aboutblood pressure, diabetes and heart issues and instructs them to eathealthily to prevent disease," Thuy said.
The association has also launched a programme for young volunteer care givers to visit the elderly at home.
This is one of many pilot programmes that are set up and funded by the Vietnam National Committee on Ageing.
Despite initial success, a lack of infrastructure, funding and humanresources to operate the programme effectively have been blamed fordifficulties the association has faced.
Ten medical staffincluding one doctor in the commune's medical centre have gone out oftheir way to monitor the health of more than 1,100 elderly and nearly11,000 local people.
The Vietnam Elderly Association andcivil society organisations have found some solutions to improve theprogramme, a Vietnam Association of the Elderly spokesperson said.
If successful, the programme is expected to be endorsed nation-wide aspart of a plan to pay more attention to the health of the elderly, whonow account for 10 percent of the national population, he said.
Figures from the General Statistics Office show the number of elderlywill grow to 16.8 percent of the national population by 2029.
Up to 70 percent of the elderly now have little or no savings and only20 percent receive a pension or social welfare, with 73 percent of theaged population living in rural areas.
Le Van Nhan, fromthe Vietnam Association of the Elderly said, "it's time to pay moreattentions to the elderly," adding that very few programmes for theelderly had been set up and only half of the nation's elderly havehealth insurance cards.
The Vietnam Association of theElderly has co-operated with the Vietnam National Committee for theElderly to compile documents to form and implement nation-wide aged-carepolicies, said association representative Pham Tuyet Nhung.
In a related move, the association responded to the International Dayof Older Persons on October 1 by calling on civil organisations to domore to help older people access social and medical services./.
