Abstract
This study aims to study environmental management in household and community by elderly people and by local administrative organization (LAOs) in rural areas of Thailand, to synthesize model for the environmental management and then to assess the model. Questionnaires with four hundreds elderly people and one hundred local administrative organization and a survey of eight case studies in environmental management for elderly people from local administrative organization were used to gather data. Interviews to experts on elderly people and environmental management were also carried out.Data was analyzed in order to find out model for environmental management for elderly people.
The results showed that LAOs have allocated resources for environmental management for elderly people at high level and provided facilities for elderly people at moderate level. While, LAOs have law enforcement, measures, plans to support environment management for elderly people at moderate level. The influencing factor for enhancing quality of life of elderly people is to be a volunteer.The results from questionnaires of elderly people indicated that municipal waste, natural disasters, floods, droughts, landsides, soil subsidence and storm are major environmental and natural resource problems in community. More than half of the elderly people resemble a residential two-floor detached house, which have bed bathroom, toilet bowl and seat and handrail. There is no device or place for recreation activities for elderly people. According to elderly quality of life, they have problems about uncertain incomes. From the results mentioned above, a manual for environmental management for elderly people in rural areas is composed of 1) energy
management, 2) water management, 3) waste management in households and 4) local wisdom in organic agriculture. The manual was tested to five communities and it was found that LAOs have issued policy in environmental management especially waste management. Assessment of the model for environmental management for elderly people
in rural areas of Thailand by using the manual showed that LAOs in each rural area
have clearly issued in environmental development strategies and have carried out
projects and activities for improving quality of life of elderly people to support environmental management in the community for example the waste bank project,
the municipal waste management campaign project and the increase forest areas in
community project.
