Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday said they would propose an amendment to Article 46 of the Employment Service Act (就業服務法) to alleviate the nation’s shortage of live-in caregivers for the elderly.
Taiwan exhibited signs of becoming a hyper-aged society in 2018, KMT Legislator Huang Chien-pin (黃建賓) said.
There are about 2.75 million people aged 70 to 100 living in the country, he said, adding that the population of 80-year-olds is about 900,000.
Photo: Lin Che-yuan, Taipei Times
Huang cited a 2022 Ministry of Health and Welfare report saying that nearly 60 percent of elderly people experience weakness in their legs.
Statistics show that 87 percent of cancer patients are aged 55 or older, Huang said.
The families of elderly people need to spend more time looking after them, as they are less likely to seek treatment, especially for conditions such as cancer, he said.
Domestic caregivers cost about NT$50,000 to NT$60,000 per month, and only 20 percent of those who train in the field actually become caregivers, meaning demand outweighs supply, KMT Legislator Ma Wen-chun (馬文君) said.
Most people hire foreign caregivers as they only cost NT$20,000 to NT$30,000 per month, she said.
However, a family can only hire a foreign caregiver if the person they are caring for qualifies according to the Barthel index, which measures a person’s ability to complete daily activities.
The KMT is prioritizing its effort to pass amendments that would increase the number of people who are exempt from requiring a Barthel index assessment, Ma said.
There is a significant shortage of long-term caregivers, and families in need find it challenging to hire an ideal caregiver, KMT Legislator Yu Hao (游顥) said, adding that the situation has resulted in women sacrificing their careers to care for elderly family members.
The amendments to Article 46 are necessary to reduce the burden on families and uphold women’s right to work, he said.
KMT Legislator Niu Hsu-ting (牛煦庭) cited the Ministry of Labor’s attempt to relax regulations related to the Barthel index when highlighting the urgency of the amendments.
It is the ministry’s duty to re-evaluate regulations involving the Barthel index, Niu said, adding that it would help the economy if the government could reduce the burden placed on young and middle-aged people who have to care for the elderly.
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