Co-creating an ASEAN Model for Active Ageing

From August 18–21, 2025, the ASEAN Centre for Active Ageing and Innovation (ACAI) conducted a transformative field visit to Rayong Province, marking a critical step toward establishing Rayong as a replicable ASEAN model for active ageing. The visit combined high-level stakeholder collaboration with deep community engagement to design inclusive, sustainable programs for older adults.

On the first day, ACAI and the Rayong Provincial Administrative Organization (PAO) hosted a stakeholder meeting with key potential partners, including Thai Health Promotion Foundation, Kenan Foundation Asia, National Health Security Office (NHSO), Thammasat University’s Faculty of Public Health (research and policy), and Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University. The dialogue focused on aligning resources, expertise, and networks to support Rayong’s active ageing programs—from wellness clubs, elderly care, telehealth, intergeneration programs, social participation and financial security to time banking and digital literacy etc.

Days 2–4 were focused on listening to communities on the ground. ACAI team visited five subdistrict health promoting hospitals (Kached, Kleang, Kongdin, Wangchan, and Nong Tabak) in Rayong to assess the feasibility of ageing programs/activities, understand ground-level realities, identify resource gaps, and gauge community readiness. Through engagements with:

    • Health Promoting Hospital directors and staff,

    • Local Sub-district administrators (Or Bor Tor),

    • Community elders and leaders via focus group discussions (FGDs),

The team gathered invaluable insights into local needs, challenges, opportunities, scalability and integration of current ageing programs. Moving forward, ACAI will synthesize these findings to prioritize and adapt programs to local contexts, ensuring they are practical, sustainable, and impactful. These programs will be implemented in close collaboration with Rayong PAO and other partners, with a focus on scalability and ASEAN-wide relevance.

Tags: #ActiveAgeing #RayongInitiative #ACAI #HealthyAgeing #ASEAN #AgeFriendlyCities #Thailand #OlderAdults #Collaboration #InnovationInAgeing