On March 16 and 17, 2026, the Center for Support & Continuing Education (affiliated with the Vietnam Medical Association), in collaboration with the Vietnam Nurses Association, successfully organized the training program “Caregivers for the Elderly and Patients”. The program was chaired by Dr. Truong Hong Son – Deputy Secretary General of the Vietnam Medical Association, Director of the Center for Support and Continuing Education, with the contribution of leading experts in the field of elderly care, including: MSc. Pham Duc Muc – President of the Vietnam Nurses Association; MSc. Pham Thu Ha – Secretary General of the Vietnam Nurses Association, Head of Training Department; MSc. Nguyen Thi Hien – Senior Specialist of the Vietnam Nurses Association; Mr. Le Manh Hung – Former Head of the Nursing Department, National Lung Hospital.
Dr. Truong Hong Son delivered the opening speech of the training program
Population aging and the need for elderly and patient care in Vietnam
Population aging is one of the greatest demographic transformations in the world today. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), on average, two people turn 60 every second globally, meaning the world adds about 58 million people over 60 each year. In 2015, the world had about 901 million older people, accounting for 12.3% of the population. This number will increase to more than two billion people by 2050, accounting for 22% of the global population. Vietnam is also among the 10 countries with the fastest population aging rate in the world.
MSc. Pham Thu Ha summarized the knowledge of the training program
According to a report by the General Statistics Office, it is forecasted that by 2020, 18% of Vietnam’s population will be elderly. The proportion of Vietnam’s elderly population will enter a phase called the “aging population period” after 2017, and the next two decades will be the “aged population” phase.
The importance of caregivers
In Vietnam, caring for the elderly and patients is often undertaken by family members. In the context of changing disease patterns and rapid population aging, Vietnam is promoting and strengthening grassroots healthcare activities and primary healthcare, consolidating hospital systems specializing in geriatrics and human resources in elderly care, and encouraging private sector participation in developing nursing home models suitable for Vietnamese cultural traditions.
MSc. Pham Duc Muc guided practical exercises for trainees
Caregivers play an important role and position because they are directly attached to the elderly, a special care subject. In addition to knowledge and skills regarding nutritional needs as well as ways to prevent diseases and protect the health of the elderly, caregivers must know how to appropriately attend to both the psychological and physiological needs of the elderly. This is still a relatively new field in Vietnam with a huge demand in both hospitals and the community, heavily requiring learning from the experiences of other countries around the world.
Trainees practiced knowledge in the training program
Conclusion
The training program provided a comprehensive and practical perspective for medical staff. Grasping basic skills, procedures to help the elderly mobilize, and the specific care needs of the elderly is the key to improving service quality and safety when caring for older adults.
Center for Support and Continuing Education