Subsidized by Social Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government, the first Life Care Daycare Center in Fengyuan District (傳愛豐原日間照顧中心) was inaugurated on February 21. With a maximum capacity to accommodate 50 elders, this Center is to provide service to the elders aged 65 and above or the disabled aged 50 and over. Up to the moment, the Social Affairs Bureau has subsided 13daycare centers for the elderly, tied with Taipei City and both ranking first in the country.
During the inauguration ceremony, the elders performed a series of programs, including Tiao Jiaguan (跳加官) and Invincible Iron King (無敵鐵金剛), with vitality like young people. Present at the event were Wang Hsiu-yen (王秀燕, Director-general of the Social Affairs Bureau), Chang Ching-fin(張瀞分, Chief of Fengyuan District Office), and Du Ming-da (杜明達, founding chairman of Life Care Community Service Association).
Wang Hsiu-yen, Director-general of Social Affairs Bureau, said that after the opening of the Fengyuan Life Care Daycare Center, there are now 13 elderly daycare centers subsided by the Social Affairs Bureau, among which 10 are for care of the disabled and dementia and 3 for the dementia. As a result, Taichung City is tied with Taipei City in the setup of senior daycare centers, both ranking first in the country. However, Taichung City is planning to set up three more daycare centers for the disable and dementia in the near future.
Director-general Wang also said, “With a comfortable open space and spacious kitchen, every daycare center provides home-like warm atmosphere for the elderly. The elderly like to help our staff in preparing dumplings, making biscuits, and cooking soup. There are also many static and dynamic programs for the elder to take part in, such as health promotion courses, the nostalgia groups, the silver-haired body fitness courses, music courses, and gardening secondary treatment courses, etc. It is our hope to make the elderly feel like home.”
A grandma said she was very fond of joking with the staff. “I go back home on Saturdays and Sundays, when I always miss the staff here. I feel like we have been parting for six years instead of only two days. As we have an old saying like ‘one day of absence equals to three years of missing’, I feel like not seeing them for six years,” added grandma. She also expressed her welcome to other elderly people. “Come. Join me. Keep me company,” said grandma, smiling.
Social Affairs Bureau pointed out that the Fengyuan Life Care Daycare Center is located at the 3rd Floor and 4th Floor, No. 600, Zhongshan Road, Fengyuan District. Its telephone number is 04-25296062. Those disabled elderly, if in need of daycare service, can also apply for subsidies to the Long-term Care Management Center (Tel 04-25152888 or 4128080). The application will be evaluated and approved by Social Affairs Bureau based on the applicant’s economic situation and disability degree.