Population aging is a trend in many countries around the world, leading to challenges for social security. To reduce the burden of aging population, the time bank model was born, bringing high efficiency in caring for and supporting the elderly in society.
Spiritual comfort
The concept of “time banking” was developed by American law professor Edgar Cahn in the 1980s, which encourages citizens to perform community services in exchange for other public goods or services. To date, about 20 countries have adopted some form of this banking system. Some countries aim to use time banking to support the elderly. By using time instead of money, individuals can support the elderly and receive similar care when they need it, thereby helping to foster social connections and mutual support. Anyone interested in sharing their time with the elderly who are having difficulties in life, needing health care and other needs, can become a member of a time bank after being verified.
In Switzerland, since 2015, the city of St. Gallen has implemented a time bank model based on the idea of providing and receiving elderly care services without using money as a medium of exchange. For each hour of work, volunteers will exchange 1 hour of credit, then mark “yes” to their account, operating through the social security system. In return, when they reach the age of needing help, they can ask other volunteers. For lonely elderly people in need of help, this initiative is similar to “a ray of hope at the end of life”, when there are no children or grandchildren around for many reasons. This initiative has helped fill the void of loneliness, bringing spiritual comfort to the elderly.
Flexible operation
In Asia, the time bank model is increasingly popular with many flexible ways of operating. Thailand started testing time bank services in 2018 and to date, there are about 80 time banks operating nationwide, with the support of the Thailand Health Promotion Fund and the Thai Time Bank network. This model receives a lot of participation from the community in the big city of Bangkok, with a diverse range of services including: driving, housework, gardening, hairdressing and caring for bedridden elderly patients.
People will proactively establish a trusting relationship and directly experience the services that time banks provide. Orn-anong Thongduan, the youngest member of the Poon Bampen Community Time Bank in Bangkok, Thailand, said that she used to be reluctant to ask for help from her neighbors, but as a member of the time bank, she can ask for support. Living alone, her recovery from a recent surgery was difficult. From the time bank, she received the support and help she needed to regain her strength. After her health recovered, she was able to use her time to support other elderly members of the bank.
For China, a country with more than 264 million people aged 60 and over, the time bank model partly fills the gap in the social security system for the elderly. Since 2018, the Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs has emphasized the importance of developing a time bank system and proposed to launch a pilot program at local levels, then expand and implement it nationwide.
In Shanghai’s western Hongqiao district, the district government is deploying a new caregiving force. The elderly in the area are divided into two groups: those aged 60 to 75 and those aged 75 and over. The younger group is encouraged to care for the older ones. This model is also being implemented in the cities of Nanjing and Beijing. The elderly are guided through various support services, taught how to use computers and smart devices, taken to medical appointments, or given a few hours of work at a company. Volunteers are not paid for these tasks. Instead, they are paid “time coins” that they can redeem for free support services when they reach 75.
Meanwhile, in India, a time bank is being expanded in the city of Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Each hour a volunteer spends with the elderly is credited to an account at the bank. When these volunteers are in need, other volunteers come forward to assist them. More than 600 volunteers from various fields of expertise have signed up to be members of the Dehradun time bank.
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Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/ngan-hang-thoi-gian-hy-vong-cho-nguoi-cao-tuoi-post749347.html
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