ข่าววิชาการ-วิจัย-สัมมนา

Walailak University, through its Excellence Center of Community Promotion, will host the 5th International Conference on “Strengthening Community Capacity and Social Support for Older Adults with Chronic Illnesses” on 27 March 2026 as part of the Walailak Research Convention 2026 (WRC 2026).

The conference addresses the growing challenges of an aging society, both in Thailand and globally. As the country transitions into a fully aging society, strengthening community capacity has become essential to ensuring that older adults can maintain good health, independence, and quality of life.

Assistant Professor Dr. Rachadaporn Jantasuwan, Head of the Excellence Center of Community Promotion, highlighted the importance of community empowerment in elderly care.

“If we want older adults to remain strong and capable of taking care of themselves, we must first strengthen the community. Nurses and health professionals play a crucial role in building that strength, ensuring that older persons in the community can maintain good health and self-reliance,” she said.

The conference will serve as an international academic platform for exchanging knowledge, research findings, and practical experiences related to community-based elderly care.

The event brings together academic partners from Thailand, Japan, and Malaysia. International speakers will join from Showa University, Japan; Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM); and the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), alongside distinguished scholars from Thailand.

The conference is co-hosted by the School of Nursing, Walailak University; the Nurses’ Association of Thailand, Southern Region; IIUM, Malaysia; USM, Malaysia; and Showa University, Japan. This collaboration reflects strong regional and international academic partnerships aimed at advancing research and innovation in elderly care.

Assistant Professor Dr. Rachadaporn noted that the partnership enhances both the academic quality of the conference and long-term research networking among participating institutions.

The conference program will feature keynote presentations in the morning session by representatives from each participating institution. The afternoon session will include oral presentations, offering researchers and students the opportunity to present their work.

For faculty members, the event offers opportunities to establish research partnerships with international institutions. For students, the conference provides valuable experience in presenting research at an international academic forum. Co-host institutions from abroad will also send undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students to participate and present their research.

Assistant Professor Dr. Rachadaporn expressed her hope that the conference will foster future collaboration and innovation in elderly care research.

“We would like this to be a platform where faculty members, researchers, and students can exchange knowledge and experiences in conducting research on elderly care in the community. It is also an opportunity to identify shared interests that may lead to future collaborative research projects.” 

The conference is open to faculty members, researchers, healthcare professionals, and students at all levels, including undergraduate and graduate students. Participants may also submit abstract and/or manuscript for publication in the conference proceedings, with the submission deadline set for 28 February 2026.



News by Settaboot Onphakdee, Division of Corporate Communications