Aging populations are growing not only in developed countries but also
in Southeast Asia. While developed countries grew old after becoming rich,
however, developing countries are growing old before becoming rich. The
aim of this project is to clarify actual features of health issues and
care systems for the community-dwelling elderly in Southeast Asian countries.
The human aging agenda focuses on how to prevent the functional dependence
of old people as well as how to provide efficient and effective care to
the frail elderly. It is also an agenda concerned with non-communicable
diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, stroke, and dementia,
which cause functional dependence rather than death. We have carried out
medical and geriatric surveys of community-dwelling elderly in West Java,
Indonesia; Phuto district, Vietnam; Maubin, Myanmar; Khon Kaen, Thailand;
and Savannakhet, Laos. We found an increasing prevalence of diabetes mellitus
in the elderly populations of Khon Kaen and Savannakhet and a high prevalence
of hypertension in the elderly of West Java. We also found that the development
of metabolic syndrome in the community-dwelling elderly was closely associated
with the presence of economic transition.
Each community has its own care system for the elderly, based on familiar,
community, and religious relationships (Geriatrics and Gerontology International
2004, 2005; Am J Geriatric Soc2004, 2005; Lancet2007). Our findings suggest
that noncommunicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke, dementia,
and heart disease in the community-dwelling elderly have similarly diverse
features among Asian countries. To control them, diverse and bottom-up
interventions such as education to increase awareness of disease, change
life-styles, or introduce medication might be needed; such interventions
should be planned not only according to the physical condition of the elderly
individuals, but also to the socio-economical situation of the community
in which they live. Preventive “field medicine” is more important than
hospitalbased medicine, especially for community-dwelling elderly living
in the developing world.
