As Taiwan will quickly become an aged and then a super-aged society, the Executive Yuan has focused its administration on providing care for the elderly, Premier Mao Chi-kuo stated at today's Cabinet meeting after he was briefed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) on creating a comprehensive long-term care system by enhancing services and joining track with long-term care insurance.
Incorporating cross-ministerial forces, the Executive Yuan has carried out an aged-society white paper as well as a program to enhance long-term care services. These efforts are based on the concepts of full mobilization and long-term, holistic care to engender an elderly-friendly community environment where senior citizens may enjoy an extended number of years of good health, thus preventing disabilities and lightening young people's caregiving load.
The premier stated that with the promotion of the laws for long-term care, the government's comprehensive long-term care system has entered a new phase. The major focus of the current phase is to enhance the quantity and quality of services and to provide ample caretakers and diverse choices in order to link the system with the implementation of long-term care insurance.
The premier further pointed out that more than 80 percent of the nation's elderly are in either good or generally good health. Physically and subjectively, they can live autonomously and even care for others. Therefore, the administration will proactively guide the market to support and respond to the lifestyle needs of the graying population and develop related businesses.
The MOHW stated that an aged society's comprehensive care strategies encompass setting up a care system for senior citizens in either good or generally good health as well as establishing a sustainable long-term care system. Currently 2,457 community care stations have been established, an increase of 58 percent from 2008 to October 2015. These care stations serve about 58,000 to 85,000 senior citizens annually, with service satisfaction exceeding 98 percent. Moreover, it is estimated by the end of 2016, the goal of setting up a community care center in each of the 368 townships and villages will be accomplished. In addition, in 2013 all the nation's cities and counties joined the World Health Organization's (WHO) campaign for WHO Age-friendly Cities, giving Taiwan a first-place world ranking.