Taiwan Today

Taiwan’s retirement communities and nursing homes are providing high-quality care and comfortable surroundings for residents.

At first glance, Suang-Lien Elderly Center (SLEC) on Taiwan’s northern coast in New Taipei City’s Sanzhi District could easily be mistaken for a seaside resort. Its landscaped compound is lush with vegetation, and large windows allow sunlight to pour into the lobby, where people relax on sofas while chatting over coffee. “You might not expect such a bright and cheery environment when entering a nursing home, but there’s no reason it should be otherwise,” SLEC director Lai Ming-miao (賴明妙‬) said.

Founded by Suang-Lien Presbyterian Church in 2000, SLEC is one of a growing number of institutions offering Taiwan’s senior citizens a place to spend their golden years. According to the Social and Family Affairs Administration (SFAA) under the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), a total of 1,084 nursing homes and retirement communities in the country collectively provide care for 51,000 elderly residents.

Though the cost of such institutions can range from NT$20,000 (US$690) to NT$60,000 (US$2,069) per month, the government is working to make facilities accessible for low-income families. Residents receiving long-term care due to disabling chronic diseases or dementia are eligible for a monthly subsidy of NT$22,000 (US$759) from the MOHW, and assistance offered by local governments and private donors meets any remaining financial need. To reduce the burden on families who do not qualify for monthly subsidies, the government began offering a yearly allowance of up to NT$60,000 last year.

The quality of geriatric care has been improving apace, according to SFAA Deputy Director Chuang Chin-chu (莊金珠‬). “The government has ramped up standards when evaluating facilities,” she said. “Initially the focus was on whether homes adequately met residents’ basic needs, but today evaluations emphasize overall well-being.”

Assessments currently include 74 areas ranging from worker training and diet personalization to the handling of complaints. MOHW carries out inspections every four years for public institutions and large private facilities, whereas smaller ones with under 50 beds are reviewed by local governments every three to four years. Those ranked at the lowest two out of five levels receive a fine and must undergo follow-up evaluations. Such stringent standards reflect the importance the government places on ensuring the highest possible standard of care.

Model Examples

Nursing homes hoping to bolster services can look to institutions like SLEC, graded a top performer by the MOHW. The institution currently provides a home for 432 seniors, of which nearly half maintain a high level of physical independence. For 86-year-old Katherine W. Han (韓吳期敏), the center provides a rich social life that would be difficult to maintain outside of a care facility.

“I can choose from a wide range of activities specially designed for elderly people like knitting and dance and singing classes. As a Christian, I love the Bible study meetings too,” she said. “I’m leading quite a colorful life here without having to worry about my day-to-day needs.”

SLEC also cares for 154 physically dependent seniors as well as 66 residents with dementia but who have a high degree of physical mobility. Doctors from Mackay Memorial Hospital in neighboring Tamsui District make regular visits to ensure the center stays up-to-date with the health condition of each and every resident. Likewise, two ambulances are always on standby in case of emergency.

Yet another facility providing model service is Changhua Nursing Home (CNH) in the central Taiwan county. Along with five other elderly homes established around Taiwan managed by the MOHW, it focuses on providing care for low-income senior citizens, who account for 60 percent of CNH’s 348 long-term residents.

To help rehabilitate physically dependent seniors, CNH embraces the self-supporting care model introduced from Japan in the mid-2010s. The regime involves introducing special diets and muscle-strengthening exercises to disabled and bedridden residents with the aim of gradually ending reliance on assistive devices. “We strive to maintain or even improve residents’ physical state, helping them regain their dignity,” the institution’s secretary Wang Shu-chen (王淑真) said. “But that’s not all. We also get creative in an effort to boost their spiritual health.”

To this end, CNH launched its Dream Realization Project in 2015 and has since organized events for more than 50 older adults, including an art exhibition for a retired fine arts teacher and a visit to her birthplace for a woman with terminal cancer. Around the same time, the facility began screening classic movies twice a month. To build up a sense of anticipation, admission tickets to the screenings are handed out in advance. Staffers even provide traditional snacks typical in Taiwan cinemas decades ago.

Community Living

While nursing homes are providing increasingly sophisticated services, they are far from the only option available for the elderly. Housing projects for physically independent seniors are on the rise in Taiwan, supported by private enterprises and the local governments in Taipei, New Taipei and the southern cities of Chiayi and Kaohsiung. Together, these municipalities are home to seven such developments with a total of 683 residents.

Leading the way in the private sector is Taipei-headquartered Ruentex Group, whose Ruen Fu New Life retirement home opened in Tamsui in 1993. The concept proved popular among retirees looking to enhance their quality of life, and other corporations soon followed suit to satisfy the rising demand for assisted living. Among the newcomers to the industry is Taipei-based Radium Life Tech Co., which applies its philosophy of innovation, diversity, sustainability and co-living to a variety of projects.

In 2018 the conglomerate launched its first eldercare project: Le Tao Chu Senior Happiness Home in New Taipei’s Zhonghe District. Occupying the 12th floor of a brand-new 15-story residential building constructed by Radium, the retirement home contains 80 units available to people aged 55 and up. Unlike most housing built for older adults, Le Tao Chu allows family members of any age to live alongside residents. An in-house support team is available around the clock, which coordinates with an outside pharmacy and clinic to ensure residents have access to top-notch health services.

By placing Le Tao Chu in an ordinary residential building, Radium ensures retirees remain integrated into the wider community. Its location within a compact district bustling with retail shops and restaurants also provides plenty of outside contact. “It’s nice to see young people in the lobby and other communal spaces,” said Joanne C. Wong (陳瓊琚‬), a 75-year-old who has lived at Le Tao Chu with her husband for nearly two years. “Plus it’s so convenient to shop and dine out in the neighborhood. Everything is accessible.”

According to Fisher Lee (李正文), general manager of Ji Shun Life Tech Co., an affiliate of Radium responsible for managing Le Tao Chu, the business group has several housing projects in the pipeline aimed at similarly blurring the divide between the elderly community and general public.

“Retirement doesn’t need to mean seclusion from society. Rather, it should be a chance for people to create a new life and make new friends, young and old,” he said. Radium is planning to diversify social activities for seniors living in its future developments, too, by creating plots of land where they can grow flowers and vegetables. “The goal is to make sure residents can keep physically active and don’t get lonely,” Lee said.

As Radium develops projects aimed at boosting the quality of life for retirees, CNH and SLEC are similarly exploring ways to improve the health and happiness of residents. The former’s latest endeavor involves improving foot strength for seniors with mobility issues, while the latter is enhancing food offerings for those with difficulty swallowing. “All this reflects the continued effort by Taiwan’s eldercare facilities to ensure a better life for their residents,” MOHW’s Chuang said. “No matter where Taiwan’s senior citizens spend their retirements, they can rest assured they’re in good hands.” 

Write to Oscar Chung at mhchung@mofa.gov.tw