HIGHLIGHTS

• National Response to Ageing: Thammasat University launched the TU Care & Ageing Society project to address Thailand’s demographic shift toward an ageing population—expected to reach nearly 36% by 2050—by tackling economic, health, and social challenges.
• Integrated and Multidisciplinary Strategy: The project mobilises resources across all faculties under the “ONE TU” concept, offering community services, healthcare, education, and rehabilitation technologies, with a strong focus on research-based policy support.
• Innovations and Services for the Elderly: Key initiatives include elderly care centres like BYT Smart Health City, end-of-life care at the Thammasat Thammarak Hospice and Palliative Care Center, elderly schools, and assistive technologies such as standing wheelchairs and rehabilitation devices.
• Policy and Research Leadership: With over 100 research centres and the ABCD Centre at its core, Thammasat plays a leading role in developing ageing-related policies and creating scalable models for both government and private sector implementation.

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Thailand faces a significant demographic shift, having fully entered an “ageing society” where those aged 60 and above comprise 20-30% of the population. This figure is projected to rise to 35.8% by 2050. This transformation brings substantial structural challenges in economic, social, and health dimensions. These include an increasing old-age dependency ratio, labour shortages, growing demands for health and welfare services, and social issues like loneliness, abandonment, and the digital divide.

To address this crucial national agenda, Thammasat University has initiated the “TU Care & Ageing Society” project. This strategic endeavour aims to position the university as a central pillar in solving the complex issues of an ageing society. The project is designed to integrate the university’s diverse resources from all faculties and disciplines, under the “ONE TU” value, to deliver comprehensive academic services, social services, and public communication.

A Comprehensive and Multi-Dimensional Approach

The “TU Care & Ageing Society” project employs a comprehensive and multi-dimensional approach to tackle the challenges of an ageing society:

• Community-level engagement through initiatives like “Smart and Strong,” which has collaborated with 39 local administrative organisations nationwide and expanded into the Asia-Pacific region. Additionally, it has developed a model elderly care centre, BYT Smart Health City, intended for national government replication.
• The project prioritises healthcare through specialised services such as fall prevention, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) management, dementia care, and palliative care, notably via the Thammasat Thammarak Hospice and Palliative Care Center, Thailand’s first end-of-life care centre established by a medical school.
• “Elderly Schools” are a core component, training specialists and community members, developing “Ageing Society Managers,” and supporting family caregivers.
• Thammasat University has developed and commercialised advanced rehabilitation technologies for the elderly, including standing wheelchairs, the I-Walk, the Space Walker, and the Arm Booster.
• At the heart of Thammasat’s strategy is a commitment to multidisciplinary research, leveraging over 100 research centres to translate academic knowledge into real-world benefits and inform policy recommendations. Especially vital is the role of the Centre of Excellence in Business and Ageing Society Care Development (ABCD Centre) in shaping guidelines for both public and private sectors.

Thammasat University’s “TU Care & Ageing Society” project is a clear example of an educational institution moving beyond traditional roles of fundamental education and research to embrace a proactive mission of solving significant social problems. Through its comprehensive approach, integrated resources, commitment to impactful research, and strategic collaborations, Thammasat is laying a robust foundation for a sustainable and high-quality ageing society in Thailand, and it’s a key driving force in creating a truly age-friendly society.