Health professionals say Taiwan’s elderly care services deserve praise, but its caregivers remain woefully underpaid.
The News Lens
Date: 2018/10/16
By Matthew Fulco, Taiwan Business TOPICS Magazine
Credit: Reuters / TPG
In April this year, Taiwan passed the threshold to officially become an aged society, with more than 14 percent of the population older than 65. That trend is set to accelerate over the next decade. By 2026, 21 percent of the population will be senior citizens, making Taiwan a hyper-aged society.
While the government has tried to boost the fertility rate, those efforts have largely fallen flat. Taiwan’s birth rate of 1.13 is the third-lowest in the world, down from nearly 1.8 at the turn of the 21st century.
Given the growing number of elderly and the low replacement rate – which means fewer young people to help look after their aged family members – the government has felt the need to develop a robust long-term care plan. Currently Taiwan is in the second stage of an ambitious two-decade program. The first stage, from 2007 to 2016 – referred to as LTC (Long-Term Care) 1.0 – established state-subsidized care for the elderly and disabled, covering home nursing, meals, and transportation, as well as rehabilitation and respite care services. [FULL STORY]