Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra sent well wishes to Thai families in a national message marking National Elderly Day on Sunday and Family Day, which fall on Monday.
In her message, Ms Paetongtarn urged families to provide love and understanding to the elderly for the sake of "their good health and well-being", noting elderly family members are a "pillar everyone can rely on".
"[Elders] have experience and knowledge that can be passed on to other family members," she said.
She also said the government has come up with welfare programmes to address issues that stem from Thailand's ageing society.
Meanwhile, Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin urged families to take care of the elderly.
He also called on the elderly to take part in the ministry's "counting the carbs" project, which aims to prevent non-communicable diseases.
"As a 70-year-old, I also watch my carbs [intake], blood pressure and weight, so the young won't have to take us to see the doctor, which may help reduce expenses," he said.
The Health Ministry's gift to the elderly on National Elderly Day is 76,000 cataract surgeries and 1,500 corneal transplants, as well as a vision screening service.
Karom Polpornklang, a deputy government spokesman, said Thailand is now an "aged society".
There were 12 million people aged over 60 in the country in 2022, or 18% of the total population.
This designation led to a collaboration between the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, the Orthopaedic Association of Thailand, The Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) and Krungthai Computer Services to develop a digital tracking programme to prevent hip fractures among the elderly.
The programme is available on the Paotang mobile app and the Line account of the National Health Security Office. It collects data and projects the risks of hip fractures among the elderly.
A pilot project in 11 provinces resulted in the rate of new and repeated falls falling by 10%. About 70% of the elderly in those provinces took part. Hip fractures, without proper treatment, can lead to disability or even death among the elderly, Mr Karom said.
