Authorities have given hearing aids to 100 elderly people in Bangkok in a bid to improve their quality of life.
The handout is a part of the project implemented by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) and the National Health Security Office (NHSO). It is sponsored by the Medical Rehabilitation Fund.
“Hearing impairment is a common problem among the elderly,” Bangkok Governor Pol General Aswin Kwanmuang said earlier this week as he handed hearing aids to elderly Bangkok residents in the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. He added that hearing impairment could lead to problems with communications and affect people’s daily lives. Hearing aids promise to help the elderly to communicate and give them a better quality of life.
Those found through screening between February and April to have hearing impairments would be eligible for the hearing aids under the programme. The tests found that 1,764 elderly had impairment and 296 needed hearing aids. So far, 100 elderly people have received the devices, and the process of distributing to others will continue.
The secretary-general of NHSO, Dr Sakchai Kanchanawattana said that in addition to rehabilitation health services, the NHSO also gives out devices for people with disabilities including hearing aids for the needy elderly.
Bangkok is a crowded area with complex health services, and so a proactive process is needed to ensure that elderly people gain access to services, said Sakchai.
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