Recent media reports said that three problematic universities have been ordered to halt new enrollments. This has given rise to questions of whether the government should deal with the campuses and buildings of shuttered universities.
It is estimated that for academic year 2028, more than half of private universities would not be able to recruit Taiwanese students, and if they fail to attract international students or adult learners, these universities would be ordered to shut down.
In that case, aside from turning the campuses and buildings into public housing or sports centers, the government should consider bringing together corporate resources and long-term care services, and transform the sites into “dementia villages.”
Statistics released by the Taiwan Alzheimer Disease Association showed that as of December of last year, the number of people with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia totaled 320,000, or 1.37 percent of the population. In other words, one out of 72 people have some form of dementia.
Data and research have shown that the risk of people having dementia increases as they age. Taiwan must be prepared for such a future, and the government must plan how to take care of people with this condition. In an aging society like Taiwan, the dementia population would definitely continue to grow.
People with dementia lose cognitive function, which could lead to other diseases and make them emotionally sensitive. This puts families who look after them under great pressure. Although Taiwan has started to set up dementia-friendly communities, many of these areas are hybrid communities in which people with dementia live alongside the able-bodied. The community might be a friendly one, but it might not be able to satisfy their needs.
To improve the situation, the government could consider the example of the Netherlands’ De Hogeweyk — the world’s first “dementia village,” which opened in 2009 — and build our own. The village could be built on the site of a shuttered university to exclusively serve people with dementia. It would resemble an ordinary residential area, but the stores and facilities there should recruit staff who know and understand how to deal with people with dementia. Social workers and health professionals should also live inside or be stationed at the village.
Meanwhile, long-term care insurance companies and corporations can and should provide support and resources for establishing such a village. In this way, people with dementia would be assisted and attended to mentally and physically in a friendly, warm and professional way. This would lessen the burden on family members while allowing people with dementia to live with dignity.
Lu Chen-wei is an associate research fellow at the Association of Strategic Foresight.
Translated by Emma Liu
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