College of Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Kaohsiung J Med Sci. 2012 Sep;28(9):465-9. doi: 10.1016/j.kjms.2012.04.002. Epub 2012 Jul 6.
The purpose of this article is to address the trends and policy of elderly and long-term care in Taiwan. In response to the increasing demand of an aging society, healthcare professionals play crucial roles in elderly and long-term care and quality assurance of services. This article focuses on the current situation of elderly health care, demands of long-term care, long-term care policy in Taiwan, draft of the Long-term Care Services Act, and draft of the Long-term Care Insurance Act. After the 10-year long-term care project was proposed by the Taiwan government, the supply of health care services and demand for long-term care have created many challenges and opportunities for innovative health professional development. Challenges consist of low old dependency ratio caused by low birth rate, lack of elderly and long-term care related manpower, services and education reform related to long-term care for the future society, and interprofessional collaboration and team work of long-term care. Opportunities include expanding the roles and the career pathways of healthcare professionals, promoting the concepts of active aging and good quality of life, and developing industrial cooperation related to long-term care services. Under these circumstances, healthcare professonals are actively involved in practice, education and research of long-term care services that ensure elderly and disabled people can live a healthier and better life.
本文旨在探讨台湾地区老年人和长期护理的趋势和政策。针对老龄化社会需求的不断增长，医疗保健专业人员在老年人和长期护理以及服务质量保证方面发挥着至关重要的作用。本文重点关注老年人健康护理的现状、长期护理需求、台湾长期护理政策、长期护理服务法案草案和长期护理保险法案草案。在台湾政府提出为期 10 年的长期护理计划后，医疗保健服务的供应和长期护理的需求为创新型医疗专业人员的发展创造了许多挑战和机遇。挑战包括低出生率导致的低老年人口抚养比、缺乏老年人和长期护理相关人力、与未来社会长期护理相关的服务和教育改革、以及长期护理的跨专业合作和团队工作。机遇包括扩大医疗保健专业人员的角色和职业道路、推广积极老龄化和高质量生活的理念、以及发展与长期护理服务相关的产业合作。在这种情况下，医疗保健专业人员积极参与长期护理服务的实践、教育和研究，以确保老年人和残疾人能够过上更健康、更美好的生活。
