Advocating Retirement Age Adjustment to 65: Harnessing Elderly as a Driving Force for Society and Reducing Serious Disease Risks

A survey on the health of Thai elderly shows a rising trend in illness, revealing that "working and having social activities" is a key to reducing dementia and chronic diseases. It promotes the idea of adjusting retirement age to 65, transforming the elderly from a "burden" into a "power."

Thailand is entering a "fully aged society" in full swing. According to the seventh Thai National Health Examination Survey (NHES 7) 2024–2025 by the Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, in collaboration with Siriraj Hospital, important data reveal that the lifestyles and health of Thai elderly have changed drastically from the past and face multiple challenges.

Elderly crisis: loneliness and lack of caregivers

Over the past 30 years, the proportion of elderly in Thailand has tripled, now numbering about 14 million, or 21% of the population. However, lifestyles have shifted from extended families to more living alone or only with spouses.

• Those living alone among the elderly reach 1.4 million, with women accounting for as many as 1 million.
• Increasing dependency Twenty-eight percent of elderly (about 4 million) depend on others for daily activities, especially in the Northeast region, where dependency rates are highest at 36%.
• Caregiver crisis Although about 1.8 million elderly require caregivers, 55% of them (nearly 1 million) lack caregivers. Currently, more than 95% of caregiving burdens fall on family members.

Income lags behind living costs

Economic challenges are another crisis factor. The proportion of elderly with sufficient income has dropped from 69% to only 39%, forcing more elderly to rely on themselves. Currently, 52% of elderly are still working, rising to 70% among those aged 60–65.

Working leads to better health

Associate Professor Dr. Roengrudee Pathanavanich, project leader of the survey, stated that elderly who continue working have clearly better health than those who do not work. They have lower rates of chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension, dementia), engage in more physical activity, and have a lower risk of depression or falls.

Based on this data, it is proposed that society change its perspective by redefining the elderly from 60 to 65 years and older, extending retirement age, supporting employment, and adjusting welfare to view the elderly as a "driving force" rather than a "burden."

Silent threats: NCDs and cognitive decline

Regarding physical and brain health, experts revealed worrying situations in two main issues. Associate Professor Dr. Chalobol Chalermsri from the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital said that 16.5% of elderly have cognitive decline (18.7% of men, 13.4% of women), with 3.7% severely impaired affecting daily life. Factors associated include age, education, and chronic diseases such as kidney and cerebrovascular diseases.

Meanwhile, Professor Dr. Wichai Aekplakorn from the Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital pointed out that over the past 20 years, rates of chronic non-communicable diseases in the elderly have steadily increased: hypertension up to 62.9%, overweight or obesity up to 38.5%, and diabetes up to 20.8%. Notably, despite good access to treatment, 30–44% have poor disease control, doubling the risk of chronic kidney failure.

Changing behaviors before it's too late

Associate Professor Dr. Wichai emphasized that risky behaviors in youth and working age accumulate to cause chronic diseases in elderly. Therefore, prevention must start early. For the elderly, nutritional adjustment and physical activity are essential.

• Regular whole grain consumption reduces NCD risk by an average of 22–26%.
• Avoiding processed foods and large amounts of meat lowers blood fat levels by 17–50% on average.
• Increasing physical activity is crucial; low movement raises diabetes risk by up to 23%.