Seems like some countries could be motivated to adopt longevity drugs like rapamycin, on a national basis much faster than others…
Elderly populations are exploding in developing nations like Thailand, where savings and government resources are scant
NONG BUA HING, Thailand—Boonma Klahan starts her mornings by washing, changing and feeding her 85-year-old mother, who has dementia and spends her days on a mattress on the family home’s wooden floor.
She makes breakfast for her 87-year-old father and then rides her motorbike to her job as a health aide to 22 other elderly people in this poor farming village west of Bangkok. Three of Boonma’s charges are bedridden like her mother. Most of the others can no longer leave their homes.
The three scrape by on the $90 Boonma receives each month for her work, her parents’ combined $50 old-age allowance from the government and money sent by her own adult son and daughter. Boonma’s brother, who lives nearby, drops off groceries most mornings.
“It’s getting more and more difficult to get by,” says Boonma, 57, whose own back and knees are starting to strain from lifting people without the help of hospital beds or other specialized medical equipment.
Read the full story: Poor Countries Are Aging Fast but Can’t Keep Up With the Cost (WSJ)