The long-term care subsidy amount is to be boosted to NT$60,000 over a three-year interval from July for each applicant who chooses to lease smart assistive devices instead of buying them, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday.
The ministry is to include smart device leasing as a subsidy item under the Regulations on Application and Payouts for Long-term Care Services (長期照顧服務申請及給付辦法) from July 1, with the goal of integrating smart technology into the home life of people with disabilities to enhance safety and efficiency.
Long-Term Care Department senior technical specialist Pai Shan-chi (白姍綺) said people who need assistive devices or accessible residential designs must first call the 1966 long-term care service hotline to apply for the subsidy.
Photo courtesy of Taipei Veterans General Hospital Yuli branch
Health management personnel would assess applicants’ disability level. Those assessed as Level 2 to Level 8 in need of long-term care would be eligible, she said.
The subsidy was NT$40,000 over three years for applicants who purchased traditional mechanical assistive devices of 47 types.
While that subsidy remains, people would be offered an alternative beginning in July, in which the subsidy amount would increase to NT$60,000 if they lease smart devices, Pai said.
Users would to choose between smart or mechanical devices, she said, adding that people can make the choice based on their needs.
Pai said a care management specialist would visit applicants at home after their assessment is completed.
Evaluators would then assess what the applicant needs and provide information and assistance, she said.
Smart assistive devices fall into five categories: mobility aids, transfer aids, bathroom and toilet aids, home care beds and safety monitoring, Pai said.
Smart devices must have functions such as sensing and data recording, transmission and feedback analysis to qualify, she said.
Leasing devices helps develop a mechanism for recycling, disinfecting and reusing them, reducing people’s financial burden and promoting recycling, Pai said.
The inclusion of smart devices with the subsidy boost aligns with the ministry’s 10-year Long-Term Care 3.0 program to promote “healthy aging, aging in place, end of life in peace,” the ministry said.
The ministry would integrate the program with the Ministry of the Interior’s old house revitalization program to jointly subsidize accessible residential facilities for people with long-term care needs, it said.
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