Although he is mentally challenged, 22-year-old Little Chuan (小泉) commutes every day by himself between the Nantou Education and Nursing Institute (NENI) in Mingjian Township (名間), Nantou County, and a carwash in Changhua County. He works hard, and lives happily, though many people worry about who will look after him when he gets old.
“We always imagine people housed in nursing institutes as young kids because we call them yuansheng [院生, student of the institute], so we naturally think they should be of student age,” Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) told reporters during an inspection visit to the NENI.
“However, the fact is, these people may have come to the institute at a young age, but gradually they grow old. And when they become old, the facilities and equipment we have in these institutes may no longer be suitable for them,” he said.
In some public nursing institutes, such as the one in Yunlin County, about 50 percent of those institutionalized are under 45 years of age. In the Tainan Education and Nursing Institute, only 14 of the 400 institutionalized people are under 30 years of age and 18 are older than 65.
“For institutionalized elderly individuals, what they need is a place to stay and relax, and maybe do some easy work, such as gardening, but they don’t need a place to learn,” the minister said.
During his visit, Jiang experienced Snoezelen multi-sensory therapy in a ward known as the White Room. Snoezelen therapy can stimulate, relax, calm or energize patients by adapting the lighting, atmosphere, sounds and textures to the specific needs of the patients.
Jiang said the ministry would soon launch a four-year project with a budget of about NT$135 million (US$4 million) to transform the three large nursing institutes operated by the ministry into centers that are more suitable for institutionalized adults.
The three institutions located in Nantou County, Yunlin County and Tainan City, Jiang said.
Each institute will have featured activities, such as gardening, crafts and plant cultivation, Jiang said.
About 1.06 million Taiwanese hold a Handbook for the Handicapped certificate as physically or mentally challenged people. Of these, about 23,000 suffer from medium or severe handicaps and need to live at institutions, Jiang said.
Lauding the new policy, the ministry’s Social Affairs Department director Huang Pi-hsia (黃碧霞) said the improved facilities would not only help people who are already in nursing homes, but also those with minor disabilities who do not require institutionalization.
“We encourage people to stay home if they don’t have a severe handicap, as it’s better for them with support from family and the community,” Huang said. “Though this would generate a serious problem: Who will look after these people when they get old and their parents can no longer handle the job?”
Providing institutions that can accommodate the needs of the elderly with mental disabilities is therefore becoming very important, Huang said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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