The volunteers of the project TA 9928 practice health care knowledge for the elderly in the area.

As usual, Mrs. Bui Thi Quyen, the head of the Elderly Association in Thao Ca Hamlet, Vinh Tien Commune, along with other volunteers, visited and cared for Mr. Dang Xuan Dong, an 85-year-old elderly person who is bedridden due to a stroke. Understanding the situation of Mr. Dong's family, where only the elderly couple lives together, the volunteers dedicatedly guided them on the nutritional regimes and elderly health care skills. They also engaged in conversations, offering the encouragement, and demonstrating the gentle on-the-spot exercises and simple rehabilitation techniques, which are suitable for his health. Mrs. Quyen shared: "Most of the elderly who are being cared for in the project are old and weak. Through the project's training sessions, the volunteers focus on helping with the personal care, some household chores, rehabilitation, and health care according to the planned schedule. They also utilize the project's support equipment such as wheelchairs, walking sticks, hand exercise balls, and foot massage tables to assist the elderly in exercising and regaining their health”.

The project TA 9928 is being implemented in three hamlets in Vinh Tien Commune. After discussing and agreeing on the content, the Commune’s Coordination Subcommittee collaborated with the case managers, the local authorities, and the relevant sectors and organizations to review and select the weak and neglected elderly individuals to assess their needs and develop care plans comprehensively. By the end of the second quarter of 2024, the project has provided care for 20 weak elderly individuals with the difficult circumstances (15 currently receiving care, 5 have passed away), with 15 volunteers who are active in the commune.

The project TA 9928 was approved by the Provincial People's Committee for the implementation, utilizing non-refundable ODA funds from the Japan Fund for the Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific (JFPR) through the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The project is being carried out in Vietnam through the Ministry of Health and the HelpAge International organization in Vietnam (HAI) in collaboration with the Provincial Elderly Association, being implementated in Tu Son and Vinh Tien communes (Kim Boi). The project began in July 2023 and is expected to end up in November 2024. The key activities include organizing the training sessions for the stakeholders on the community-based long-term care model; holding the case management meetings at the village level, as well as the meetings for the commune-level Coordination Subcommittee and the district-level Coordination Committee; providing the long-term care equipment and supplies in the area; providing ongoing technical support; and conducting a final project evaluation to draw the lessons for scaling up the model locally. The total project funding amounts to 109,589 USD, of which the Provincial Elderly Association is allocated 55,430 USD, equivalent to 1.3 billion VND.

In the first half of this year, the project provided care for 39 elderly people in the pilot area, with 29 currently being cared for and 10 who have passed away. The volunteers visit the elderly at least eight times a month; the case managers and the assistant case managers conduct the regular monthly supervision and support care for the severe cases, such as providing emotional encouragement, mobilizing resources from the philanthropists, the local authorities, and businesses to offer additional support to the elderly. They also conduct awareness-raising campaigns, and guide and remind the families to pay attention to the health and care of the elderly.

In addition to providing care and improving health for the weak and elderly people, in difficult circumstances, and lacking care, the Commune’s Coordination Subcommittee, the District’s Coordination Committee, along with the support of the Provincial Elderly Association, collaborated with the local authorities to mobilize funds, household appliances, and essential goods to support and assist the elderly households in particularly difficult circumstances within the case management system. 

Mr. Bui Tuan Hai, the Chairman of the Provincial Elderly Association, says: "The implementation of the Project TA 9928 has harnessed the strength of the community in fulfilling the task of caring for and promoting the role of the elderly, especially those who are with long-term illnesses. In the future, the Provincial Elderly Association hopes that ADB, the Ministry of Health, and the HAI organization will continue to strengthen supervision and provide technical support to the districts, the communes, and the villages to achieve the project's goals. At the same time, we aim to mobilize the resources and philanthropists to provide financial support for the Commune’s Coordination Subcommittee, especially for the village-level case management groups, to continue their activities after the project ends. Through this, we hope to spread and expand the model throughout the province, contributing to helping the elderly live happily, healthily, and joyfully”.