The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Friday said it is considering a public information television channel or programming dedicated to information about long-term care and health issues.
The ministry is discussing the proposal with the National Communications Commission and other experts, Social and Family Affairs Director Chien Hui-chuan (簡慧娟) said.
Officials have yet to determine whether a dedicated channel or a series of programs would better serve the public, but regardless, the Long-term Care Services Program 2.0 would feature prominently, Chien said.
The commission is interested in finding better ways to disseminate information relevant to elderly people, she said.
The ministry is aware that the success of the long-term care program depends greatly on public information, Long-Term Care Department official Chou Tao-chun (周道均) said, adding that elderly people and their families must have good access to such information.
As elderly people will one day comprise one-fifth of the population, the government has to be aware that its policies need to help integrate them, not further compartmentalize them, Chinese Culture University professor of social work Chen Chen-fen (陳正芬) said.
Chen, who is also president of the Taiwan Association of Family Caregivers, said that while the government seems to think a single TV channel could meet their needs, elderly people are not a monolithic group and should not be treated as such.
“Maybe TV programs should not constantly remind viewers that elderly people are lonely or use ‘old’ as a pejorative,” Chen said. “Instead of providing specialized TV programs that make elderly people seem even more isolated, we should use TV as a platform to promote dialogue within families.”
In related news, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications on Friday commended 23 people for outstanding work in promoting road safety for elderly people.
Specialized road safety instructions are important for the safety of elderly people, who are more likely to be killed in traffic accidents than any other demographic, the transportation ministry said, adding that it has recruited 240 more instructors, or a staff increase of 28 percent.
Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said his own foray into explaining the importance of keeping a safe distance from large vehicles and walking on the left side of roads had not been successful.
“Livening up the talk with actual examples and videos was really important to keep the audience’s attention,” Wang said. “Everyone who received the commendation has prepared such teaching material, including songs.”
“Instructors have the spirit of the Buddha and they are doing good work,” he said.
The transportation ministry is to conduct a comprehensive, nationwide review of road design and layout to improve safety from next year to 2022, he said.
Engineers would add more dividers and crossings, increase pedestrian crossing times at intersections, improve road and sidewalk surfaces, and remove obstacles that hinder older pedestrians and users of wheelchairs, Wang said.
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