Chula ARi’s Progress Report in 2023
Meet with the Chief of the District of Koh Sichang and the Governor of Chonburi Province to find ways to link Koh Sichang’s community plan in response to the aging society with the development plans of Koh Sichan District and Chonburi Province so the community can receive sustainable financial support for their project and activities.
Meeting with the Governor of Chonburi Province, Monday, February 6, 2023.
Meeting with the District Chief of Koh Sichang District, Monday, February 6, 2023.
Meeting and visiting the community area with the village headman, Koh Sichang District, Wednesday, May 17, 2023.
Meeting with the Community Innovators, Koh Sichang District, Wednesday, May 17, 2023.
Koh Sichang District, Thursday, May 18, 2023.
Meeting with teachers and students of Koh Sichang School, Thursday, 18 May 2023
Meeting with the elderly group, Koh Sichang District, Friday, May 19, 2023.
ภาพการลงพื้นที่โรงพยาบาลเกาะสีชัง วันศุกร์ ที่ 19 พ.ค. 2566
Visiting occupational groups on Thursday, May 18, 2023
2. Visit the Khlong Lat Phachi community to follow up on the sustainability of the prototype system in response to the aging society in the area and the lessons learned.
- The community has taken the initiative to improve the garden area that was previously renovated by the Chula ARi project. They have created an organic vegetable garden and are recycling garbage to make fertilizer for the garden. The vegetables harvested from the garden are distributed among the community members, and the prices are based on weight. This method helps the community determine how much each household can save using the vegetables grown in the garden.
- The Chula ARi project has renovated a multi-purpose building to make it accessible for everyone, and the community has transformed it into a learning center. The center is open to people of all ages and provides various learning opportunities. The community is now seeking financial support from the Ministry of Information Technology to purchase computers and supplies for the center. Currently, the space is being used as a meeting and training place for community members of all ages.
3. Organize petanque activities to promote health and bonding among people of all ages at Koh Sichang.
The health examinations conducted on older persons in Koh Sichang through the Chula ARi and Thai ARi projects have revealed that most of them are overweight, have high levels of cholesterol, and are at high risk of developing a stroke. However, despite this, most older persons still have poor eating habits and are not getting enough exercise. To create awareness about prevention and healthcare and foster relationships between citizens of all ages, the Chula ARi Project collaborated with community leaders, the Koh Sichang Municipality, and the District to organize an event called "Pétanque for Three Generations." This event aimed to promote health awareness and intergenerational relationships.
"Pétanque for Three Generations."
Objective
- To proactively promote the health of three generations of people: young, working, and older people through the sport of pétanque.
- To promote awareness and preparation to support the aging society in the community.
- To enhance intergenerational relationships within the community and encourage cooperation among agencies to improve the quality of life for an aging population.
Operational guidelines
The project organized a pétanque competition in the Koh Sichang community, where teams consisting of people of three different age groups (youth, adults, and older persons) will compete. There will be seven teams, each comprising ten members, selected from every village in the community. In addition, one team will be chosen from the local department and the Chula ARi Project. The competition will occur on a single day, and the top three scoring teams will be awarded trophies and prize money. The village will use the prize to enhance the quality of life for its residents.
Activity Assessment
On June 15-17, 2023, a competition was held where 120 individuals from different age groups participated, including seniors, working people, and youth. After conducting a satisfaction evaluation, it was found that all participants (100 percent) were satisfied with how the activity was prepared and organized.
4. Nutrition Academy Thailand
Thailand's population is getting older, which means people are living longer but are also at a higher risk of non-communicable diseases that are difficult to cure. However, it's possible to prevent, control, or reduce the severity of these diseases by adopting healthy habits such as following a nutritious diet and engaging in regular exercise. These habits can also help improve or maintain physical performance. Two workshops were conducted to address these concerns, the first being "Nutrition and Exercise Management for Good Muscle Health in the Elderly" and the second being "Evaluating Self-care in Nutrition and Exercise for Muscle Health Good Space for Elderly People."
The Chula ARi Project, in collaboration with the Nutrition Academy project of the Graduate School of Chulalongkorn University and Abbott, recognized the importance of promoting healthy behavior among the population. As a result, we organized a training workshop titled "Nutrition and Exercise Management for Good Muscle Health in the Elderly." The workshop was conducted on May 31, 2023, and was attended by 55 people aged 50 and over from communities under the Chula ARi Project.
During the activity, the older adults were provided with training on various aspects related to health and nutrition. The training included theoretical knowledge and practical exercises such as muscle-building and reading food labels. The participants were also taught how to create food schedules, select appropriate foods, calculate the energy content of different foods, and experiment with cooking dishes suitable for older individuals in the community. The training was conducted by faculty members from the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences. Additionally, the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn University conducted a health examination of the participants, which included measuring muscle mass, fat, water, and BMI. The results of the health examination were evaluated individually for each participant.
The second workshop is a follow-up to the previous one on "Evaluating Self-care in Nutrition and Exercise for Muscle Health for Older Persons" and took place on October 2, 2023. The workshop aimed to evaluate and follow up on the application of knowledge to change behavior. The training program included health status monitoring to help older individuals care for their health regarding nutrition and exercise more effectively. The goal is to provide intensive tutoring to increase trainees' understanding so they can act as a health promotion team or health coach in their community. They can transfer knowledge and practices to older people or anyone interested in their community. This will help expand the results of the training to a broader audience.
The training results showed that older people who applied the knowledge gained from the first training on eating and exercising could regulate their weight and even increase their muscle mass. However, some older adults found it inconvenient to use the dietary and exercise notebook regularly. Therefore, the training team has modified the knowledge and training delivery methods to be more explicit and provide accessories for each community to exercise. The training also includes guidance on calculating food type and energy content, which many older people tend to buy ready-made. The training also addressed various questions and concerns. All trainees who will be serving as health coaches in their community have been invited to a group LINE. This enables the Chula ARi team to connect with them and provide additional information to enhance their knowledge. Through the group LINE, trainees can ask questions and get answers from the team.
5. Academic forum for extracting lessons from models of care for older people in Bangkok: suggestions for improving the quality of older people's life at the community level in the area, September 5, 2023
The Bangkok Metropolitan Authority has been focusing on improving the quality of life of older persons. It has already implemented two plans to achieve this goal. However, the plan performance evaluation was unsatisfactory for a few reasons. Firstly, the plans needed to be translated into concrete actions. Secondly, the stakeholders must be made aware of and understand the plans. Lastly, there needed to be more integration and proactive work to execute the plans successfully.
The Bangkok Action Plan on Older Persons, Phase 3 (2023-2027) highlights the need for collaboration and proactive efforts from all concerned parties, such as district offices, health centers, public and private organizations, health departments, and civil networks, to tackle the challenges faced by elderly citizens. These stakeholders have been working on developing a community system that supports older persons, and it would be beneficial to exchange experiences and lessons learned to identify the most effective system that can be implemented across communities in Bangkok.
Objective
- Extract lessons from work for older people in Bangkok.
- Inspire work for older people in Bangkok.
- Promote collaboration between the government, civil society, and community.
Presentation
- Present a model of care for older people in a suitable sample area.
- Model from Chula ARi research study
- Model from work in areas supported by the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (Arun in Siam Group Wang Thonglang District)
- Model from work in the Bangkok area
- Suggestions for the implementation of the Bangkok Elderly Action Plan, Phase 3 (2023-2027)
Elderly representatives from the Chula ARi Project attended this academic forum.
6. The College of Population Studies facilitates lifelong learning by integrating local wisdom with the global context. They also provide keynote lectures on Thai classical music in the current era of globalization. The speaker for this session is Dr. Sirichaicharn Fachamroon, a National Artist in Performing Arts. Additionally, older members from the communities in the Chula ARi project also participated in this activity on September 8, 2023.
7. The Arts and Culture Working Group of the College of Population Studies has been organizing the Dhamma Program for Older Persons and Families continuously since 2021. They have set up a group on the LINE application with over 100 members, including older adults from the community, in the Chula ARI project. The main objective of this program is to promote the mental and spiritual well-being of older adults and their families. This is done by sending words of Buddha via LINE, organizing online meetings to pray together, and having Q&A sessions about dhamma principles for older people's daily lives.
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