Long Term Maintenance Plan 3.0 will be launched next year

With Taiwan expected to become a “super-aged society” next year, the government plans to roll out the Long-Term Care 3.0 program in the first half of next year to provide more comprehensive care for older people and allow home caregivers some breathing room. Deputy Prime Minister Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) said on Friday.

Cheng said in an interview with the media that the inter-ministerial long-term care task force, under the supervision of Governor Yuan, is working on the details of the plan, expecting the new program to not only care for more elderly people but also provide care. Integrating local health care with the welfare mechanism to create a complete national long-term care system.

SUPER OLD SOCIETY

Photo: Taipei Times

The World Health Organization defines a super-aged society as a society in which 20 percent of the population is 65 years old and over, and “elderly society” as a society in which 14 percent of the population is 65 years old and over, and an “aging society”. A country where 7 percent of the population is in this category.

According to definitions, Taiwan became an aging society in 1993 and an aging society in 2018. Next year, the country would become a super-aged society.

President William Lai (賴清德) spoke of the goal of achieving a “healthier Taiwan” in his inauguration speech on May 20.

To achieve this, the government has implemented measures such as the Long-Term Care Plan 3.0 to strengthen care services for the elderly by increasing the number of care facilities and integrating national health and welfare resources.

Since former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) announced the Long-Term Care Plan 2.0 in 2016, the budget and the number of providers and venues providing this care have increased significantly, Cheng said.

Over the past three years, the percentage of people needing and receiving care has increased as the government has intensified its efforts to provide services. This rate was 69.51 percent in 2022 and 56.60 percent in 2021, and increased to 80.19 percent last year.

Taiwan aims to serve 87 percent of people needing care in the next four years by improving long-term care services.

As part of the Long-Term Care Plan 2.0, Taiwan has established more venues to provide home care, meals and health promotion services in many neighborhoods, Cheng said.

REDUCING THE LOAD

Long-Term Care Plan 3.0 will focus on families who need to care for members with serious illnesses because they bear a heavier financial burden, Cheng said, adding that the future plan will provide diversified and continuous care for these groups.

Cheng said he has seen critically ill people being discharged from hospitals but soon returned to emergency rooms as their illnesses worsened and family members had difficulty caring for them.

Cheng said that many people admitted to care institutions often return to the hospital, which puts a psychological burden on families, adding that it is the government’s responsibility to strengthen the health network so that people can receive high-quality care, whether at home or in a nursing home. organisation.