Taiwan to expand long-term care to younger dementia, PAC patients

Taipei, June 19 (CNA) The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) on Thursday announced amendments to regulations governing long-term care services, with patients under the age of 50 who have dementia and a disability, and those who have suffered from certain acute diseases included as eligible recipients starting next year.

Under the current "regulations governing long-term care service applications and payments," eligible recipients of government-subsidized long-term care services in Taiwan include people aged 65 and older, Indigenous people aged 55 and older, individuals with physical or mental disabilities and those aged 50 and older with dementia.

Starting Jan. 1, 2026, eligibility will be expanded to include people under 50 with dementia who are also disabled, as well as patients in the post-acute care (PAC) program, Wu Hsi-wen (吳希文), deputy head of the MOHW's Department of Long-Term Care, told CNA on Thursday.

The PAC program is an initiative promoted by the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) since 2014, targeting patients with rehabilitation potential following acute illnesses such as strokes and heart failure, according to the MOHW.

By providing intensive rehabilitation services based on medical team evaluations, the program aims to help patients reduce disability or regain functional abilities, according to NHIA promotional materials.

Wu said the expansion aims to ease the burden on family caregivers of young patients with dementia or those recovering from acute illnesses, while also slowing the progression of cognitive or physical decline.

Another amendment, set to take effect in July 2026, provides eligible recipients with NT$60,000 (US$2,025) every three years to rent assistive smart devices for use in five key areas, including mobility and toileting.

Unlike traditional assistive devices, smart ones are expensive, but care needs often change with the user's age and level of disability, Wu said.

Drawing on a rental system in Japan, the amended regulations will allow individuals to switch rented smart devices based on their condition, encouraging the use of technology to improve the quality of long-term care, Wu added.

While around 200,000 households in Taiwan that employ migrant caregivers are currently not eligible to use day care or adult foster care services, Wu said the amendments will lift restrictions, allowing access to such services for those households after an assessment starting in September this year.

Wu said the goal is to boost participation in community-based care services to help ease or delay the progression of disabilities or dementia.