TAIWAN: Occupancy At Elderly Care Institutions At 75%

TAIPEI, Taiwan (China Post - CNA), December 9, 2007: The occupancy rate of long-term elderly care institutions around Taiwan has reached 75 percent as demand continues to increase with the graying of the country's population, according to tallies released Saturday by the Ministry of the Interior (MOI). As of the end of October, people aged 65 and older totalled 2.33 million in Taiwan, MOI officials, adding that the number has been increasing every year. While there are a total of 1,015 long-term elderly care institutions around the country with the capacity to accommodate a total of 62,000 residents, 46,546 seniors, or 2 percent of the elderly population, are residing in these institutions, the officials said. Taipei County is home to the largest number of long-term elderly care institutions at 194, followed by Taipei City at 171 and Kaohsiung City at 68, they said. In terms of occupancy rate, Hsinchu City records the highest level at 91 percent, and Liangchiang County has the lowest level at 25 percent, they added. Copyright © 1999 – 2007 The China Post