Taiwan addresses long-term care challenges in super-aged society

As Taiwan enters a super-aged society, experts and organizations are addressing the critical challenges of respiratory disease prevention and labor shortages in the long-term care sector.

In Hualien, a seminar focused on integrated vaccine care for long-term care institutions. Experts discussed the importance of protecting high-risk elderly populations against influenza, RSV, pneumococcal disease, and shingles. Health officials noted that a high percentage of severe influenza cases involve elderly patients with chronic illnesses, many of whom are unvaccinated. New public health measures include upgraded pneumococcal vaccines and the inclusion of high-dose influenza vaccines for elderly residents in care facilities starting in October.

Simultaneously, the long-term care sector is facing significant labor shortages. To address the gap, organizations like One-Forty are working with medical institutions to provide multilingual educational materials for foreign caregivers. These resources aim to bridge language and professional skill gaps, particularly in managing dementia-related behaviors. Additionally, government policies allowing skilled migrant workers to transition to mid-level technical roles are being utilized to encourage long-term talent retention in the caregiving industry.