Want China Times
Date: 2015-05-16
By: CNA

An estimated 760,000 individuals with disabilities and their families are expected to benefit after a long-awaited long-term care service bill which cleared the Taiwan Legislature Friday.

Under the bill, the term “long-term disabled” refers to those who have had a disability for six months or who are expected to remain disabled for more than six months and based on the needs of the individuals for caretakers to provide support, assistance, care and related medical services.

At present, long-term care service is confined to those aged over 65, aboriginal people over 55, and people over 50 who are physically challenged or mentally impaired, living alone and unable to care for themselves.

The new bill will provide families of the disabled with other options. Families will be able to hire foreign caregivers as is the current situation, or they can apply to long-term care centers to provide services.     [FULL  STORY]