A charity organization has set up the nation’s first support center for family caregivers to provide them with professional psychological counseling and assistance with their work.
President of the Taiwan Association of Family Caregivers Wang Tsen-yung (王增勇) made the announcement on Wednesday, saying the center would provide counseling on a variety of issues, including psychological distress, family relations, stress relief, adjustment to lifestyle and emotional disturbance. All counseling will be free, with costs covered by money from the social welfare lottery, he said.
Those who are no longer caregivers are also welcome to use the center’s resources, as they may still need counseling on coping with grief following the loss of a family member, he said.
Family caregivers are classified as people who take care of the mentally physically challenged or senior family members who can no longer take care of themselves.
The association’s statistics show that the nation has about 580,000 people in need of a caregiver — 180,000 senior citizens and 400,000 mentally or physically challenged people.
Wang said 78 caregivers had committed suicide in the past two years and that 47 percent of them did so because of psychological problems, while 31 percent killed themselves because of declining health.
Many domestic and foreign studies have shown that a caregiver’s health and psychological condition are undermined by their responsibilities and that many of them suffer from nervous breakdowns, Wang said.
Wang said 65 percent have a tendency toward depression.
Research conducted by the association last year found that 30 percent of the respondents said they needed professional psychological counseling, while 26.7 percent would like to have somebody they could talk to.
An association executive asked caregivers not to bear their burden alone and to call 0800-580-097 and speak to the center about receiving assistance.
They can also visit the center on Changan East Road in Taipei to talk with social workers or listen to music and relax, the executive said.
Twenty-four Republican members of the US House of Representatives yesterday introduced a concurrent resolution calling on the US government to abolish the “one China” policy and restore formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Led by US representatives Tom Tiffany and Scott Perry, the resolution calls for not only re-establishing formal relations, but also urges the US Trade Representative to negotiate a free-trade agreement (FTA) with Taiwan and for US officials to advocate for Taiwan’s full membership in the UN and other international organizations. In a news release announcing the resolution, Tiffany, who represents a Wisconsin district, called the “one China” policy “outdated, counterproductive
Actress Barbie Hsu (徐熙媛) has “returned home” to Taiwan, and there are no plans to hold a funeral for the TV star who died in Japan from influenza- induced pneumonia, her family said in a statement Wednesday night. The statement was released after local media outlets reported that Barbie Hsu’s ashes were brought back Taiwan on board a private jet, which arrived at Taipei Songshan Airport around 3 p.m. on Wednesday. To the reporters waiting at the airport, the statement issued by the family read “[we] appreciate friends working in the media for waiting in the cold weather.” “She has safely returned home.
ON PAROLE: The 73-year-old suspect has a criminal record of rape committed when he was serving in the military, as well as robbery and theft, police said The Kaohsiung District Court yesterday approved the detention of a 73-year-old man for allegedly murdering three women. The suspect, surnamed Chang (張), was arrested on Wednesday evening in connection with the death of a 71-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙). The Kaohsiung City Police Department yesterday also unveiled the identities of two other possible victims in the serial killing case, a 75-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃), the suspect’s sister-in-law, and a 75-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張), who is not related to the suspect. The case came to light when Chao disappeared after taking the suspect back to his residence on Sunday. Police, upon reviewing CCTV
TRUMP ERA: The change has sparked speculation on whether it was related to the new US president’s plan to dismiss more than 1,000 Joe Biden-era appointees The US government has declined to comment on a post that indicated the departure of Laura Rosenberger as chair of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT). Neither the US Department of State nor the AIT has responded to the Central News Agency’s questions on the matter, after Rosenberger was listed as a former chair on the AIT’s official Web site, with her tenure marked as 2023 to this year. US officials have said previously that they usually do not comment on personnel changes within the government. Rosenberger was appointed head of the AIT in 2023, during the administration of former US president Joe
RSS