Local governments should collect feedback from people with dementia and their family members to improve their recently instated action plans, as many of them would fail to adequately meet real needs, the Taiwan Alzheimer’s Disease Association said on Friday.
The association estimates that more than 290,000 people in Taiwan have dementia, although with the nation’s rapidly aging population, that number is expected to surpass 900,000 by 2065, with one case diagnosed every 40 minutes on average.
To ensure that services and resources are distributed well, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, in its “Dementia Plan 2.0” announced in 2017, instructed all local governments to create their own action plans by the end of last year.
Association president Lai Te-jen (賴德仁) was upbeat that all 22 governments met the goal, calling it a “major milestone” in dementia care policy.
Particularly encouraging was the emphasis on cross-departmental cooperation, Lai said.
All but two of the local governments created plans that involve more than one department, with some even including agencies that, for example, handle environmental protection, tourism, Aboriginal affairs or domestic violence, he said.
However, there is still room for improvement, Lai added.
Only eight of the governments gave detailed budgets, while only seven consulted with people with dementia and their family members, he said.
In addition, only some of the plans covered all seven of the ministry’s major policies detailed in the 2017 directive, Lai said, raising concern that they would not be able to meet the diverse needs of families affected by dementia.
The governments should quickly revise their plans to avoid harming the interests of this rapidly expanding group, Lai said.
As environment, culture and resources differ among regions, association secretary-general Tang Li-yu (湯麗玉) supported the development of local plans, but emphasized that the plans should use the ministry’s seven major policies as a guideline.
For instance, the plans should include a detailed budget, and a mechanism for management and communication that is re-evaluated annually, Tang said.
Policymaking should be undertaken by a cross-departmental working group led by the mayor or county counselor, and include people with dementia, their families and related organizations, as stipulated in this year’s update to the ministry’s plan, she said.
In addition, each local government should keep statistics and estimates on the population affected by dementia and available resources, Tang added.
Providing accessible care and creating a dementia-friendly environment are also the purview of local governments, she added.
As officials revise their action plans, Tang advised paying close attention to several issues:
First, budgets and implementation mechanisms should be precise and regularly communicated to the public, she said.
Second, efforts should be integrated across departments, she said.
Finally, community input should be sought to ensure that policies properly addresses real needs, she added.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Chiayi County at 4:37pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 36.3km southeast of Chiayi County Hall at a depth of 10.4km, CWA data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Chiayi County, Tainan and Kaohsiung on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Pingtung, Taitung, Hualien, Changhua, Nantou and Penghu counties, the data
RSS