Nursing homes need policies to open the way

Nowadays, nursing home models are beginning to receive social attention as a humane solution, in line with modern trends.

The need to develop health care models in nursing homes is increasing. Photo: VNA

In particular, after the speech of General Secretary To Lam at the National Conference to disseminate and implement the four new resolutions of the Politburo held on September 16, it can be expected that the nursing home model, especially the semi-boarding nursing home, will develop more clearly in the coming time.

Unlike the "full-time nursing home" model, where the elderly live at the facility, the "semi-boarding nursing home" model allows the elderly to come to live, receive medical care, participate in community activities, and return home to their children and grandchildren in the evening.

The Vietnam Institute for Real Estate Market Research and Evaluation (VARS IRE) believes that this is a solution that balances the tradition of "living with family" and the need for professional care of the elderly.

However, this concept is still very new, most of the current facilities are still operating full-time and are often overloaded. In the context of rapid population aging, developing a system of semi-boarding nursing homes will be a suitable solution for Vietnam's cultural, social and economic conditions.

VARS IRE experts analyzed that the semi-boarding nursing home model not only contributes to providing thoughtful care for the growing elderly population but also demonstrates the children's gratitude to the previous generation. And from the supply-demand perspective, this model will also promote a new development direction for the nursing home real estate segment.

VARS IRE cites information from the Ministry of Health, in general, most elderly people suffer from chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, bone and joint diseases...; on average, each person suffers from 3 or more diseases. Therefore, the need for regular health check-ups and specialized medical care is very large.

Ms. Kim Anh (Hanoi) shared that despite receiving very good care at home and having her own attendant, her mother over 80 years old started to show signs of confusion, falling into a state of “senile depression”, and not even recognizing her own daughter. She came to Kaigo Nursing Center after learning from her friends’ experiences with the hope of improving her mother’s care.

The results were surprising because thanks to the professional, dedicated care and the suitable environment, her mother became much more alert and healthy. The life of the 80-year-old woman has improved in quality at the nursing home - which Kim Anh affectionately calls her mother's "boarding school".

In addition, many elderly people want to have professional medical care while still maintaining emotional ties with their families. In Vietnam, there have been a number of specialized healthcare apartment projects near the family's residence, but the cost is often beyond the ability of most people.

Therefore, the model of boarding nursing homes is also expected to contribute to solving this problem, helping the elderly to ensure their health and avoid loneliness. Not only does it benefit the elderly, this model also helps the younger generation feel secure in their work.

Due to the pressures of life, many young workers find it difficult to stay home to take care of their parents regularly. Leaving their parents in a nursing home during the day will help them feel secure in developing their careers, while still maintaining family affection.

From a modern perspective, this is not a “distance” but a way to show responsibility and love for children. This is also in line with the tradition of “remembering the source of drinking water”.

In fact, the concept of “semi-boarding nursing homes” is very new. Most of the current facilities still operate on a full-time model. Only a few nursing centers allow the elderly to be admitted in the morning and returned in the evening. However, the common point of the centers is that they are all in a state of “overload”.

VARS IRE believes that, in the context of rapid population aging, developing a system of semi-boarding nursing homes will be a suitable solution for Vietnam's cultural, social and economic conditions.

Each age has a suitable supportive environment, if children have kindergartens to develop in their early years, the elderly also need a “day care home” to receive health care, spiritual communication and live happily and meaningfully. However, the cost of an average nursing home is currently relatively high, more than the pension or support from children and grandchildren.

Specifically, according to statistics by the end of 2024, the average pension of beneficiaries is 6.2 million VND/month, while the average nursing care cost is from 10 million VND per month.

Therefore, for this model to truly come into life, in addition to social security policies, combined with health insurance to reduce costs for the elderly, the State needs to research and issue preferential policies on land funds and credit for nursing home projects to encourage businesses to participate in developing this potential segment.

Mr. Troy Griffiths - Deputy Managing Director of Savills Vietnam commented that in Vietnam, the market has many levers to support the construction of retirement real estate specifically for the elderly. In particular, insurance packages that come with investment value are increasingly popular. In the future, the traditional family model will gradually change and witness more opportunities for the retirement housing segment.

Vietnam has entered the aging population phase since 2011 and is experiencing the fastest aging rate in the world. According to the National Population Data, the country currently has about 16.1 million elderly people, accounting for over 16% of the population. It is forecasted that by 2038, Vietnam will enter the aging population period. One in five Vietnamese people is over 60 years old, leading to an increasing need for health care, mental health and life of the elderly.

Grasping this trend, many businesses have proactively invested in products to meet market demand. For example, since mid-2022, Intracom Group has invested in building the Asahi Oriental Nursing Home located in the nearly 10-hectare Oriental Medical Complex, designed in a modern Art-décor style, combined with many amenities.

Asahi Oriental Nursing Home is one of the pioneering trends in Vietnam when it comes to bringing nursing homes together with a health care system, facilities and rare green space in the heart of Hanoi. Asahi Oriental Nursing Home provides a variety of services including: inpatient care for the elderly who need long-term accommodation or the elderly with underlying or serious illnesses; semi-boarding care for busy families or the elderly who want to experience international-class resort services.

Here, the elderly receive initial health check-ups, advice on appropriate resort and care packages by experienced medical, nutrition and nursing experts; combined with a system of modern machinery to effectively support the care and treatment of geriatric diseases...

Similarly, in 2024, Well Group and Vingroup Corporation, including Vinmec Healthcare System and VinMedtech Company, will jointly deploy a healthcare model for the elderly according to strict and high-end Japanese standards in Vinhomes urban areas of Vingroup Corporation. Accordingly, Vinhomes Ocean Park 2 will be the first place in the entire Vinhomes urban chain to deploy, pioneering the opening of an international standard nursing home model right in the heart of urban areas in Vietnam.

In particular, Well Group will invest in equipment and human resources by bringing experts and care teams from Japan to Vietnam, directly operating and managing healthcare facilities for the elderly to ensure high-quality service according to Japanese standards.

On Vingroup’s side, VinMedtech Company invests in infrastructure to meet specialized technical standards for elderly health care. Vinmec Healthcare System will contribute professional experience in disease management, care and treatment of elderly patients.

The international-class elderly health care model implemented by the three parties takes two forms: daily elderly health care and long-term elderly health care (nursing home).

However, not all families have the financial means to send their elderly relatives to high-quality nursing homes. But to replicate and diversify the model and truly put it into practice, VARS IRE believes that, in addition to social security policies, it is necessary to combine it with health insurance.

At the same time, the State issued preferential policies on land and credit to encourage businesses to participate. From there, to have products with reasonable costs, suitable to the needs of more people.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/xa-hoi/nha-duong-lao-ban-tru-can-chinh-sach-mo-duong-20250921123420094.htm