Home & daily life
Planning for later life and care in Chiang Mai
How to check a care facility's licence and what to discuss with the person concerned and their family.
Start with these three things
- Thailand's Department of Health Service Support (HSS) provides an official public search for care facilities for older and dependent people, by facility name or licence number.
- Separate searches are available for registered operators and caregivers.
Planning tips (not official rules)
- Start by recording the person's wishes and the everyday tasks with which they need help.
Steps
"Tip" marks a planning suggestion, not an official rule.
- Tip Discuss difficulties with meals, bathing, mobility, shopping and questions about medicines with the person concerned.
- Tip Decide whether to explore support at home, day care or residential care.
- When considering a facility, ask for its formal name and licence number and compare them with the HSS facility search.
- Tip Visit and ask about support, staffing, overnight arrangements, coordination with medical services and communication in Japanese.
- Tip Check costs and contract terms in writing, and decide only after the person concerned has received an explanation they understand.
What to prepare
Planning tips (not official rules)
- Record the person's wishes, daily difficulties, medical providers, medicine information and family contact arrangements, sharing only what is needed.
- Ask what the basic fee includes, extra charges for meals, supplies or accompanying hospital visits, and how charges are settled on departure or hospital admission.
- Before sending medical histories or identity documents, verify the official contact and the information actually needed.
Where to ask
HSS department responsible for health establishments / the facility's official enquiry service
Reception hours are not yet confirmed. Check with the office before visiting.
Things to watch for
- If a facility is not found in the official search, HSS directs users to enquire with the responsible department. A search with no results is not conclusive by itself.
Planning tips (not official rules)
- Look beyond Japanese-language advertising or claims to serve Japanese residents. Ask who provides daily care and in which language.
Check both the licence and the support needed
HSS Region 1 reported post-licensing inspections of care facilities for older and dependent people in Chiang Mai province in January 2026. An official enquiry channel is available independently of a facility's advertising.
Planning tips (not official rules)
Alongside the licence check, ask which daily assistance and medical needs the facility can handle. Discuss how and where it refers needs it cannot meet.
Continuing to live at home
Planning tips (not official rules)
Review steps, the bathroom, movement at night and shopping transport together. Discuss how to preserve what the person can still do independently, as well as future support.
Agree on specific help from nearby people, key access, suitable visiting times and what to do if contact is lost, with the person's consent.
Heat and family contact
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare warns that older people need particular care in hot weather because their awareness of heat and dehydration and their body's ability to regulate temperature may decline.
Planning tips (not official rules)
Discuss how to check indoor temperature and where to rest during a power cut. If a doctor has given fluid-intake instructions, share those with people providing support.
If family members are in Japan, include the person concerned in agreeing on regular calls, help with medical visits, payments and circumstances in which a return to Japan might be considered.
Rules change frequently. Confirm the current position with the health-establishment department of Thailand's Department of Health Service Support (HSS).
Inclusion is not an endorsement.
Sources & dates checked
- OfficialDepartment of Health Service Support, Ministry of Public Health of Thailand (HSS) บริการประชาชน | ศูนย์บริการอิเล็กทรอนิกส์ One-Stop Service Portal
- OfficialDepartment of Health Service Support, Ministry of Public Health of Thailand (HSS) ตรวจสอบสถานประกอบการเพื่อสุขภาพ — กิจการดูแลผู้สูงอายุหรือผู้มีภาวะพึ่งพิง
- OfficialHealth Service Support Center, Region 1 ตรวจประเมินสถานประกอบการเพื่อสุขภาพ ประเภท กิจการการดูแลผู้สูงอายุฯ หลังจากได้รับใบอนุญาตประกอบกิจการ (Post-Audit) ในพื้นที่จังหวัดเชียงใหม่
- OfficialMinistry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan 熱中症を防ぎましょう