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Elderly volunteers honored

Taipei City Hoping Hospital volunteer Hsu Jiang Yen-hsue (許蔣燕雪) started working at the hospital four years ago when she was attending Song Nian University for senior citizens.

At the age of 71, she began volunteering six days a week, and has contributed a total of 4,248 hours so far.

To pay tribute to elderly volunteers like Hsu Jiang and to celebrate the upcoming Chong Yang Festival, the Taipei City Government held an awards ceremony yesterday to honor senior citizens who volunteer more than 120 hours a year.

The Chong Yang Festival, which falls on next Tuesday this year, is a time for people to remember their ancestors and honor the elderly.

Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) promised the city would take care of its senior citizens, and he encouraged them to live more energetic lives.

"Taiwan is becoming an aging society, and so building a healthy and safe living environment for the elderly will be our mission. With more cycling and hiking routes in the city, we hope that all senior citizens will live more healthily," Ma said.

According to statistics released by the city's Social Welfare Department, elderly residents account for 11 percent of the city's population, more than any other city and county in the country.

Hsu Jiang received an award as the volunteer who has contributed the most hours.

She said her four years of volunteer work had been "rewarding" and she hoped to continue for the next 15 years.

"I started to volunteer at the Hoping Hospital because I was bored at home. Now I feel very honored to serve people. Volunteering is interesting," she said.

The eldest of the award winners was 83-year-old Huang Yu-ying (黃玉英), who has been a volunteer at the Taipei Astronomical Museum for eight years.

She works there every Friday and has been one of the key organizers for the museum's summer camps. Like Hsu Jiang, she was enthusiastic about volunteer work, and said she will continue serving the public as long as she can.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) announced it will hold a "Health Festival" on Oct. 30 at Banciao Train Station to celebrate the Chong Yang Festival.

Those over the age of 65 may enter a competition seeking the person with the best health-care secrets. People older than 100 will also be awarded prizes.

According to the ministry's figures, there were more than 21 million people over the age of 65 in the country at the end of August, and 818 people older than 100.

The ministry started a new project this year to establish "care stations" in different communities throughout the country to provide a healthy and safe environment for the elderly.

Additional reporting by Jean Lin
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