Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) yesterday said the Long-term Care 3.0 program next year would focus on better integration of healthcare services and long-term care services, expanding facility care capacity and strengthening respite care services.
During President William Lai’s (賴清德) election campaign, he raised the idea of a 10-year Long-term Care 3.0 program. Last month, the Cabinet said the government is planning to introduce that program in the first half of next year, when Taiwan is expected to become a “super-aged society.”
The Long-term Care 2.0 program was launched in 2017 under former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration.
Photo: Chiu Chih-jou, Taipei Times
The 2.0 program covers elderly people (aged 65 and older) with disabilities, indigenous residents aged 55 and older with disabilities, people aged 50 and older with dementia and people of any age with a disability card or other proof of mental or physical disability.
The 3.0 program might expand the eligibility to include people who have had strokes, those with late-stage cancer and foreign nationals with permanent residency doing professional or mid-level skilled work, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Lue Jen-der (呂建德) said to reporters on Friday on the sidelines of a conference held by the Taiwan Medical Association in Taipei.
The 3.0 program would focus on three key points, beginning with the tighter integration of healthcare services and long-term care services, Chiu said, adding that if people receive better healthcare services, there would be more healthy elderly people who do not need long-term care, which would improve their quality of life while saving a lot of resources that go into long-term care services.
The second key point would be to expand the capacity of care facilities, allowing more people to receive needed care, he said.
The third focus would be on strengthening respite care services, as caregivers also need to take a break from caring and spend time on other aspects of life, while the people they care for are looked after by someone else.
Asked whether the budget and work force needed for the 3.0 program would be increased, Chiu said that the government agencies would work together to discuss the budget and cooperate in providing “people-centered” care.
The government would definitely work to secure the financial resources necessary to let the public receive the best care services, he said.
Although long-care service providers have grown in recent years, the aging population is expected to continue to create higher demand, so the ministry aims to improve the working conditions and environment to encourage more people to work in the long-term care service sector, he added.
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