This study has found rich insights of older people in Thailand regarding active ageing, of being actively engaged in life. This involves being self reliant, representing independence in self-care tasks and abilities to take care of themselves. Keeping active with ones’ own autonomy has been found as an important aspect of active ageing in previous studies.10,12,27 Being able to do what they want is meaningful for older persons’ autonomy to manage personal lives independently10,27 and being self-reliant is positively related to good physical health. Being physically active and preserving optimal functioning have been demonstrated in several studies as common perceptions of active ageing.