The death of former martial arts actor Chang Chen-huan (張振寰) last month showed the difficult situation of elderly people living alone, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Tseng Hsien-ying (曾獻瑩) said.
Chang, 65, was found dead at home on March 14 by authorities responding to reports of a strong odor emanating from a home in Taipei, police said.
Preliminary investigations ruled out third-party involvement in Chang’s death, police said.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Chang rose to prominence in Taiwanese cinema following his debut in a fantasy film in 1976. The veteran actor was famous for his roles in fantasy movies and television shows, as well as martial arts films.
Reported deaths of people living alone in Taipei have been increasing, adding up to 178 cases over the past five years, Tseng said on Sunday.
The Taipei City Government in 2008 launched an emergency rescue system and offered each registered elderly person living alone a host computer, portable buttons and an infra-red sensor, he said.
Users can report their safety daily using the equipment and can press a portable button to report emergencies to the 24-hour emergency rescue center, he said.
The city government also provides services such as life counseling and home visits, he added.
As of last month, the city had 577,310 residents aged 65 or older, he said.
Data from the city government’s Department of Social Welfare showed that 9 percent of them were living alone, meaning that Taipei had more than 50,000 elderly people who lived alone, Tseng said.
However, as of the end of last year, only 3,598 elderly people living alone in Taipei, or about 7 percent, were equipped with an emergency reporting device, a relatively low number, he said.
The department said that it would step up promoting the emergency system and other services for elderly people living alone, expand the elderly care system and make home visits more frequently.
Additional reporting by CNA
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