Ratchaburi Province, Thailand, 7 May 2026 — The National Metal and Materials Technology Center (MTEC), National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), visited Chanaruk Nursing Home, an elderly care and stroke rehabilitation center in Ratchaburi Province, to explore real-world needs and identify potential research opportunities for developing innovations that support Thailand’s aging society.
The MTEC delegation comprised researchers from Well-living Design Research Team, together with Novel Rubber Products Research Team and Research and Innovation Strategy Division. The team joined a discussion with the Executive team of Chanaruk Nursing Home and observed its care and rehabilitation services for elderly residents and patients recovering from stroke.
The visit aimed to gain first-hand insights into elderly care and rehabilitation practices in a real service environment. It also provided an opportunity to exchange ideas on how MTEC’s expertise in materials science, design technology, rubber products, well-being innovation, and care-support systems could be further developed to meet the practical needs of healthcare personnel, caregivers, and service users.
Chanaruk Nursing Home provides care for various groups of elderly residents and patients, including stroke rehabilitation patients, long-term elderly residents who are still able to perform daily activities, and bedridden patients. The center carries out continuous assessment and monitoring of residents’ conditions, including range-of-motion assessment, preliminary cognitive assessment, occupational therapy, and physical therapy, with the goal of helping service users regain or maintain their ability to perform daily activities as much as possible.
During the discussion, several potential areas for research and innovation collaboration were identified. These included Universal Design, medication alert and management systems, materials and equipment for pressure sore prevention, rubber floor mats to reduce the risk of slips and falls, thickened food products for elderly people or patients with swallowing difficulties, muscle rehabilitation equipment, sensors, and health data monitoring systems.
Chanaruk Nursing Home also expressed its readiness to serve as a real-use testing site for relevant innovations. This presents an important opportunity to connect MTEC’s research capabilities with the direct needs of users and to support the development of practical technologies for elderly care and rehabilitation services.
The visit reflects MTEC, NSTDA’s commitment to promoting user-centered research by bringing real-world challenges into the research and innovation process. Through this approach, MTEC aims to develop technologies and collaborative solutions that respond to the needs of an aging society and contribute to improving people’s quality of life in a tangible and sustainable manner.
