On the afternoon of September 29, the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Volunteer Force, in collaboration with the Rehabilitation and Occupational Disease Treatment Hospital, organized the 5th Community Health Workshop on "Community-based Elderly Care - The Role of the City's Youth Volunteer Force in Adapting to Population Aging."
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Trieu Do Hong Phuoc, Commander of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Volunteer Force, stated that in 2025, Ho Chi Minh City had approximately 1.57 million elderly people, accounting for 11.4 percent of the population.
According to Commander Trieu Do Hong Phuoc, elderly individuals not only need care during illness, but also have needs for communication, sharing, and participating in suitable activities. The Youth Volunteer Force is studying a model to provide social support services combined with healthcare for the elderly on a tiered basis, tailored to varying needs and levels of intervention required.
Under the plan being studied, tier 2 and tier 3 eldercare models will be piloted in three areas of the city, linked with the medical and social protection systems.
At the workshop, many delegates expressed interest in day care needs for the elderly, especially those with stable chronic conditions, mobility decline, or difficulties in daily living who do not yet require inpatient treatment or long-term residential care.
Nguyen Van Binh, Deputy Commander of the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Volunteer Force, said the proposal under study aims to pilot three facilities in Chanh Hung Ward, Vung Tau Ward, and Bac Tan Uyen Commune.
According to the draft plan, the pilot period will last for six months. All three facilities will organize community activities, expected to serve 50-100 elderly people per day at each location.
Specifically, Facilities 1 and 2 are expected to offer additional daytime healthcare services for around 20 people per facility per day once operating stably.
Facility 3 will initially organize community activities. Following the pilot period, based on evaluation results and when full conditions are ensured, the implementation of long-term residential care will be considered, with a projected capacity of 300 people.
Social protection facilities directly under the Ho Chi Minh City Youth Volunteer Force will directly manage and operate the centers, while the hospital will coordinate to provide professional support, training, consultation, and quality supervision.
Elderly individuals participating in the program will undergo assessments for health status, self-care ability, and the level of assistance required; receive health monitoring, nutritional support, physical exercise, and rehabilitation; and participate in cultural and spiritual activities. At the end of the day, the elderly will return home to their families.
