As an academic with a background in public health, I have observed that in several fires, many of the victims did not die because they were trapped in the blaze, but because they “couldn’t move.”
It brings to mind that deeply ingrained series of Dr Ws (威瑪舒培) Cerenin (循利寧) commercials, in which a young girl’s grandmother is unable to move out of her chair because her legs have gone numb.
The advertisement also cruelly exposes the vulnerability of older people during sudden disasters — when crisis strikes, mobility is the only ticket to survival.
Mobility is the key to vitality. From a public health perspective, extreme crises such as fires, earthquakes or the outbreak of war are all stress tests for human survival.
Several cases in which people with limited mobility died in fires reflect a serious warning about public safety — in moments requiring emergency evacuation, even the rescue systems of the military, police and firefighters have their limits.
Only when individuals possess a basic level of physical strength and mobility can we reduce the burden on emergency responders and improve survival rates.
Preventing sarcopenia — the loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength and function due to aging — is the foundation to a resilient society. We should rethink the relationship between preventive medicine and national security, while promoting exercise and sarcopenia prevention among older people.
This is essentially about building a kind of comprehensive societal defense — citizens who possess basic mobility can remain self-reliant during power outages, communications breakdowns or emergency evacuations, and might even contribute to mutual aid within their communities rather than simply waiting helplessly for rescue.
Self-reliance and resilience can generate enormous marginal benefits. When every citizen maintains physical functional capacity by reserving their muscle strength, the nation can allocate its scarce rescue and medical resources more precisely, ensuring they go to those who are most vulnerable and in need.
This is not about spreading panic, but about building a society that is confident that, no matter what happens, we would be able to protect one another.
Lastly, investing in preventive medicine is tantamount to building a national resilience fund. Public health spending should not be viewed merely as welfare expenditure.
In a super-aged society, health promotion and the development of physical fitness are investments aimed at reducing the risk of future societal collapse.
In times of crisis, a healthy and independently mobile older population can transform from “those needing rescue” to “those capable of helping others.”
This is precisely the kind of social capital emphasized in the defense strategies of Nordic nations, such as Finland.
By promoting preventive medicine in ordinary times and helping older people avoid frailty and disability, we can protect not only the National Health Insurance system, but also the survival of every family in the face of extreme disasters.
Advancing preventive medicine is about ensuring that, in any challenge, people can retain their right to independence, health and dignity.
We must no longer allow physical immobility to become a source of tragedy — instead, allow the preservation of muscle and strength to become the most solid safeguard protecting Taiwan.
Su Hsun-pi is executive director of the Central Taiwan Association of University Professors.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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