For the elderly to live happily and healthily

(Baonghean) - Our ancestors have a saying "Respect the elderly, the elderly leave the old to us", this is also a fine tradition of the nation for thousands of years. Promoting that tradition, in recent years, the work of caring for the elderly (NCT) has always been focused on by all levels and sectors in our province, thanks to which the lives of the elderly have been improved both materially and spiritually, demonstrating national ethics, contributing to educating social ethics...

Providing free medicine to the elderly in Nghia Tho and Nghia Phu communes (Nghia Dan).

The family of Mrs. Tran Thi Van (61 years old) was formerly a poor household in Hamlet 7, Thanh Van Commune (Thanh Chuong). After her husband passed away, she single-handedly raised three children who were studying at university and college. Joining the "Intergenerational Self-Help" Club, in February 2013, she was able to borrow 5 million VND to buy 2 breeding pigs for 6 million VND; by June, the family sold 16 piglets for 4 million VND, and currently has 2 breeding pigs left. Mrs. Van said: "With the attention of the Association of the Elderly at all levels and thanks to participating in the Club, my family has received material and spiritual support, has been imparted with a lot of knowledge about the elderly, and especially experience in animal husbandry and production. Thanks to that, I can participate in labor to earn more income, striving to escape poverty." In Hamlet 10, Xuan Lam Commune (Nam Dan), the family of Mrs. Bui Thi Ly (76 years old) was previously one of the poor households, lacking capital for production and livestock raising, and having no stable job. After joining the "Intergenerational Self-Help Club", in early 2013, Mrs. Ly was able to borrow 3 million VND, contributing capital with her children to buy breeding buffaloes to raise. Up to now, her family has a monthly income from livestock raising of nearly 3 million VND...

As one of the four provinces implementing the VIE022 Project on "Promoting the rights of disadvantaged elderly people in Vietnam" since October 2010, up to now, the "Intergenerational Self-Help" Club model has supported poor elderly people to increase their income through many diverse forms. The highlight of the Club is its intergenerational and self-help nature, aiming to maximize the strength of the elderly in hunger eradication and poverty reduction, strengthening solidarity, mutual love, and village and neighborhood affection. Up to now, the whole province has maintained and expanded 104 clubs in 11 districts, attracting over 5,000 members, of which 70% are elderly members. The clubs have disbursed over VND 8.04 billion to 2,403 members for loans to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty. In particular, the clubs have mobilized 589 members to volunteer and have helped 323 elderly people, including 129 elderly people are sick but have no one to take care of them. Depending on each person's individual circumstances, volunteers have different ways of caring for and helping them. If the elderly are still healthy, volunteers will come to talk to them and help them with some daily household chores. For those who are sick, they will often take care of them, help them cook, do laundry, or take them to the doctor. Ms. Nguyen Thi Diep - a volunteer of the "Intergenerational Self-Help" Club No. 20, Thanh Van Commune (Thanh Chuong) confided: "Currently, I and the volunteers in my group have taken care of 8 lonely elderly people in the locality. Just by doing small tasks such as helping them go to the market to buy food, cleaning the house, talking to them, and when they are sick, taking them to the commune health station to visit, cook and help them take medicine. Seeing them live happily, I am very satisfied with my job."

Along with the “Intergenerational Self-Help” Club model, the “Community-based Elderly Care and Counseling” model implemented by the Department of Population and Family Planning since 2011 has also achieved many positive results in elderly care. From the initial 6 communes, the model has now been deployed and maintained in 10 communes of 3 districts including Thanh Chuong, Anh Son, and Nghia Dan. The highlight of the model is the “Elderly helping the elderly” club, established in the communes, and to date there have been 20 clubs with more than 1,600 members participating. Each month, the clubs meet once, with diverse content and forms such as: Seminars, discussions, providing knowledge related to population and family planning policies, elderly care;... In addition, 113 volunteers of the model are trained and fully equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to perform the task of consulting and caring for the elderly periodically at home. Volunteer teams regularly monitor and update information on the health status of the elderly, care activities to report to the health station. Mr. Luong Van Thang, Thanh ethnic group, Trong hamlet, Nghia Tho commune shared: "From 2012 to now, the "Elderly people helping the elderly" club of the hamlet has attracted more than 100 elderly people to participate. Here, we are instructed by doctors and nurses of the commune health station, volunteers on how to detect diseases that the elderly often suffer from; have our blood pressure, heart rate measured and blood sugar levels checked. We find the club's activities very practical!"

In addition, the Department of Population and Family Planning also coordinated with the Traditional Medicine Hospital and the Provincial Elderly Association to organize training courses to provide knowledge, skills in counseling and caring for the elderly for 930 staff members, including population and family planning officers, the district-level Elderly Association, specialized staff, commune-level health stations and volunteers in villages and hamlets. In addition, every year, the Department of Population and Family Planning organizes health check-ups and consultations for the elderly to help them recognize their health status and treatment methods, and at the same time provide knowledge about proper nutrition and exercise in the elderly. Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hoat - Chairman of the Elderly Association of Thanh Lien Commune said: "The commune has nearly 1,300 elderly people and nearly 250 of them do not have health insurance. At each examination, the Elderly Association of the commune assigns the task to the branch heads to review and select the subjects to ensure that the elderly do not have health insurance and prioritize those in difficult circumstances, work with the family to arrange for children and grandchildren to take the elderly to the examination to ensure safety and on time, and coordinate with the population specialist of the commune to organize communication about elderly health knowledge on the commune's loudspeaker system. The elderly are very excited to be cared for and looked after."

Mr. Tran Huu Ich - Chairman of the Provincial Association of the Elderly said: "Along with the activities of projects and models, in recent years, the Association of the Elderly at all levels has also focused on establishing sports and cultural and artistic clubs for the elderly, helping the elderly have the conditions to exercise and relax their minds. Up to now, the whole province has 3,783 clubs, of which about 2,000 are sports clubs, the rest are poetry, culture, arts, current affairs and policies clubs... The clubs have played an important role in taking care of the health and spiritual life of the elderly, contributing to promoting the implementation of the campaign "All people build a cultural life". In addition, every year, the Association of the Elderly at all levels has proactively coordinated with the Department of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs to count the elderly who are policy beneficiaries, the poor elderly, the elderly who are eligible for social insurance and congratulate and celebrate longevity. From 2012 to now, there have been 114,536 The elderly were visited and given gifts, 214,588 elderly were congratulated and celebrated their longevity according to the provisions of the Law on the Elderly. In addition, the organization also coordinated to issue health insurance cards to 235,630 elderly, reaching a rate of 67.4%; coordinated to organize medical examinations and establish primary health care records for 228,994 elderly, reaching a rate of 70%; implemented the program "Bright eyes for the elderly", free eye examinations for 141,698 elderly, free eye treatment for 20,919 elderly... The fund for caring for and promoting the role of the elderly in the commune has been established in 458 communes, reaching 95.4% of the communes. Thanks to those practical care measures, every year, the number of poor elderly people decreases by 7-8%; every year, more than 210,00 elderly families (accounting for 85%) achieve the title of Cultural Family; more than 20,300 elderly people are good at doing business. grant…".

Minh Quan