Respect the elderly on the Double Ninth Festival! The number of centenarians increased by 740, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare spent nearly 100 million yuan to provide gold locks

October 18th is the Double Ninth Festival. According to statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, there are 6,489 people over 100 years old in Taiwan this year, an increase of 740 or about 13% over last year. Coupled with the rise in gold prices, it was originally estimated that the procurement cost may exceed 100 million yuan. The final winning bid amount fell to more than 97 million yuan. This year, Ruijin lock tablets were donated to people, and the purchase amount reached 97,221,346 yuan, an increase of more than 20 million yuan compared with last year.

Zhou Daojun, director of the Social Welfare Department of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said that there are 6,489 people over 100 years old in Rui this year, an increase of 740 from 5,749 last year. Among them, 2,490 people have just turned 100 years old, and each of them will be given a heavy gold lock plate of NT$1.5; there are 3,999 people over 100 years old, each of whom will be given a heavy gold lock plate of NT$0.5. With the increase in the number of people and the rise in gold prices, the procurement cost this year reached 97,221,346 yuan, an increase of 20,231,346 yuan from last year's 76,990,000 yuan.

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Zhou Daojun said that this year, the price of gold was once close to 19,000 yuan per unit, and the original estimated procurement cost may exceed 100 million yuan. Fortunately, the gold price fell when the bid was awarded, and the final expenditure did not exceed 100 million yuan.

Zhou Daojun said that giving gold locks is a way to express respect and care for the elders in traditional culture, and the daily care of the elders is provided based on actual needs. Elderly people who are able to move around can participate in community base activities and share meals together; disabled people can use long-term care services, and elderly people living alone are also included in the care services currently being promoted.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare held a Double Ninth Festival celebration event "Classics and Youth, Youth and Classics" at Taipei Main Station today, attracting a large number of people to queue up to participate. A "Trendy Sports Zone", a "Retro Mandarin Store" and a "Health Observation Station" are set up on site to allow the elderly to experience technological sports equipment, play tops and pinball machines with young people, exchange childhood memories, and provide simple health testing and information on digital care, oral care, financial trust, and age-friendly transportation.

Lu Chien-te, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said that Taiwan’s population over 65 years old has exceeded 4.8 million, accounting for 20.7% of the total population. In the face of a super-aging society, the government continues to promote Healthy Taiwan, Long-term Care 3.0 and care for the elderly living alone. The life wisdom accumulated by the elders is a precious "classic" in society, while the new generation brings vitality and creativity. We hope to enhance mutual understanding through cross-generational exchanges and encourage the elders to get out of the house and participate in society.

Lu Jiande pointed out that this year's long-term care funding increased from 92.7 billion yuan last year to 115.3 billion yuan, and another 6.25 billion yuan was used to promote a two-year care plan for the elderly living alone. It is planned to comprehensively interview 700,000 elderly people living alone nationwide by 2027. Currently, there are more than 5,200 community care centers across the country. We hope to mobilize the community and elderly volunteers to allow "elders to take care of their elders" and support the elderly to age in place.