Taichung City Mayor’s wife Liao Wan-Ju attended the Press Conference of Charity Fundraising Banquet for Building the “Kanner Manor – Garden of Joy at Dawn” by Christian Mennonite on January 21. She said that the “Issue of Double Ageing” is becoming more and more obvious as children with disabilities grow up and parents get old in Taiwan, among which, families whose members with Kanner Syndrome (originally called autism) are most serious. She called on all circles to make generous contributions of funds and actively participate the fundraising banquet on March 4 to gradually implement the Long-term Care Service for patients with Kanner Syndrome in Taiwan.

Mayor’s wife expressed that, because patients with Kanner Syndrome had problems integrating into society and were badly in need of nursing institutions to take them in, there was in greater need of the scale of “Community” for families of patients with Kanner Syndrome to live at ease. She revealed that she would visit a long-term care institution and old-age community in Europe at her own expense in April or May. In this community, there were different disabled people and their family members. Everyone has more understanding of the disabled people in each home and can take care of each other. Hope to bring the business model back to Taiwan after 3 weeks. Although there is still a long way to go, the disabled people in Taichung and even in Taiwan can receive good care gradually.

Lin Mu-Chuan, Chief Executive Officer of Taiwan Christian Mennonite New Dawn Organization indicated that there were 13,000 patients with Kanner Syndrome with an average increase of 16% per year, nearly 1,000 persons in 2014. The rapid growth of Kanner Syndrome is called “Kenner Tsunami” abroad. It was obvious how the seriousness of the problem was, so Christian Mennonite had an idea to build the “Kanner Manor”

According to experiences from European and American countries, people with Kanner Syndrome have problems integrating into society. They are very sensitive to the sound and temperature and more suited for living in rural and natural environments, in other words, “Green Care”

“Kanner Manor” will be located in Shoufeng Township, Hualien County, covering an area of about 5 hectares. In the first phase construction, “Garden of Joy at Dawn,” the required budget is NT$0.17 billion, and two buildings will be built to accommodate 64 adults with Kanner Syndrome and accept 16 persons for day-care services and 8 persons for temporary care. In the park, not only does the natural environment have a positive impact on the body, mind, and spirit of people with Kanner Syndrome; the park is also responsible for the general education curriculum and farm work teaching. Therefore, they can have special professional skills while bringing more revenue. It also helps adults with Kanner Syndrome leave parental care and lead independent lives and a comfortable old age.

Taichung City Social Affairs Bureau Deputy Director, Chen Chung-Liang thanked all circles in society for their concern about the weakness. Accompanied by many people, children with disabilities can go together in the light. He believed that it is the entire society’s responsibility and not just the parents’ to take care of children with disabilities. It is hoped that the Fundraising Banquet held in Evergreen Laurel Hotel Taichung on March 4 can receive responses from all circles in society and have the plan implemented as soon as possible.