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Room going spare at care centers for nation's disabled

Although care centers tending the physically and mentally disadvantaged have plenty of vacancies, families are uncomfortable with the idea of sending their loves ones to specialized care, a social welfare group said yesterday.

According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of the Interior, as of the fourth quarter of last year, there were 4,000 vacancies at the 240 care centers across the country which cater to disadvantaged people.

These care centers include those that provide night care, day care, all-day or hourly care services.

"There are two reasons for the high number of vacancies. One is the issue of supply and demand and the second is family factors," said Carol Lu (呂惠萱) of the Eden Social Welfare Foundation.

"Families who are in denial about the fact that someone in the family is physically or mentally disabled might think that sending that particular family member to a care center is an act of coming to terms with reality," Lu said.

"In addition, some families believe that sending their loved ones to care centers is airing dirty laundry in the public," she said.

Lu said financial aid from the government also plays a part in the decision-making.

"Depending on the type of disability and the financial situation of a particular family, the Ministry of the Interior offers different financial aid plans. For instance, a low-income family with a severely physically-disabled member may receive about NT$6,000 a month," Lu said.

"However, by sending this family member to a 24-hour care center, the money will go directly to the center, and not the family. Therefore, most families would prefer to see the money going into their own pockets, instead of to the care centers," she said.

According to the ministry, by the end of last year, there were a total of 861,030 individuals registered as physically and mentally disadvantaged, including 78,498 who are mentally disabled.

"The cost of sending someone to a 24-hour care center, either a private or public unit, is somewhere around NT$30,000 per month," Lu said.

She explained that individuals who need around-the-clock care are those who are not able to take care of their own personal needs.

"There are many other different types of care centers, such as children's daycare centers -- similar to kindergartens -- which cater to young children who are mentally challenged," Lu said.

"However, parents in more rural areas are more reluctant to send their children to special schools, for fear of their children will be labeled as mentally disadvantaged," she said.

Location and environment are the key points of consideration when picking a center for a family to stay, she said.

"Most families choose centers close to home and ones which provide a comfortable environment; therefore, care centers in rural areas are less likely to have high occupancy rates," she said.
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