Chiayi City Government kicked off an age-friendly living campaign March 26 as part of efforts to become the first metropolis in Taiwan to gain membership of the World Health Organization’s Global Network of Age-friendly cites.
“Chiayi is poised to become a model of age-friendliness via collaboration between the local public and private sectors,” ROC President Ma Ying-jeou said at the program launch.
Echoing Ma’s comments, Chiayi City Mayor Huang Ming-hui said the primary goal of the project is to create comfortable spaces that contribute to healthy aging in society.
According to Huang, the campaign will deliver improvements for the elderly across a number of areas, including building design, community support, employment, health services, housing, outdoor spaces and transportation.
“We will follow the WHO guidelines for developing an age-friendly living environment with the assistance of National Cheng Kung University academics,” Huang said.
The mayor believes that Chiayi City, with its abundant medical and health care resources, is a perfect candidate for the WHO program.
“Issues associated with age-friendly communities are especially significant for us,” Huang said, adding that since 1993, more than 7 percent of the southern city’s population has been categorized as senior citizens. (JSM)
Write to Elaine Hou at elainehou@mail.gio.gov.tw