In 2023, the number of long-term care cases in Taichung City reached 74,713, with a coverage rate of 83.83% for care services. Taichung City received recognition as the top performer in Taiwan in terms of long-term care and care service awards, establishment of service points, number of physicians for home care disabled cases, and service quantity. The Health Bureau director, Zeng Zizhan, estimated that the demand for long-term care services this year will reach 92,000 people, and the total long-term care funding from the central government has grown four times compared to the previous year, making it the highest in terms of resource allocation across Taiwan.
For every 100 people aged 65 and above in Taichung City, there are 16 individuals. Director Zeng Zizhan mentioned the growing demand for long-term care services this year and the city’s alignment with the central government’s Long-Term Care 2.0 policy in integrating and establishing various long-term care resources and networks. This year, the locally injected long-term care funding from the central government amounted to 8.9 billion, a significant increase of 4.24 times compared to NT$1.7 billion in 2017, making it the top recipient of subsidy funds and service volume in Taiwan. As of the end of March this year, 1,795 long-term care resources, 42 dementia care points, and 10 dementia care centers have been established, achieving 100% coverage in administrative regions and ranking first in resource distribution across the nation.
An illustrative example provided by the Health Bureau is an 87-year-old woman, Mrs. Cheng, who experienced a fall resulting in a fracture earlier this year. After the surgery, she found it challenging to take care of herself and was initially resistant to receiving care from strangers. However, with the support of long-term care services, she now looks forward to attending the adult day care center daily. Her daughter, Ms. Cheng, who is her main caregiver, can balance taking care of her mother and work thanks to the long-term care service support, allowing her to still enjoy her personal life. Ms. Cheng expressed her appreciation, saying, “Having long-term care services is really great!”
The Health Bureau emphasized that for those in need of long-term care services, they can call 1966, the long-term care hotline, to receive assistance in applying for various long-term care services and obtaining relevant information. Alternatively, individuals can apply for long-term care services online through the “Taichung City Government Service e-Counter.”