NEWS
USR
- Publish Date：2025-03-17
Innovative Care for an Aging Society: NYCU Advances Transdisciplinary Education to Meet Elderly Needs
Alumna Yeh Yu-Ting (middle row, first from the left) transformed childhood logic games into “Brain Training Games for Seniors” to help the elderly slow cognitive decline.
When one in five people is 65 years old, “long-term care” is no longer just a family issue, but a challenge that the whole society must face. According to the National Development Council's latest report (October 2024), Taiwan will officially enter into a “super-aged society” in 2025, with 20% of the population aged 65 or older. However, long-term care is not only about “long-term” care, but also about the quality of life in old age – how can we enable the “elderly” to live a healthy and dignified life and even rediscover the value of life?
To meet this challenge, in addition to the collaboration between National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) and National Innovation Centre Ageing (NICA) last year (March 2024; hyperlinked news) to carry out international research and development in areas related to longevity society, NYCU has also been planning ahead since 2020 to set up a “Master Program in Transdisciplinary Long-term Care and Management” (hereinafter the ‘Long-term Care Program’), which focuses on practical applications and cross-disciplinary collaboration, breaking the traditional academic framework to nurture professional talents, who can promote innovative models of long-term care.
To meet this challenge, in addition to the collaboration between National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) and National Innovation Centre Ageing (NICA) last year (March 2024; hyperlinked news) to carry out international research and development in areas related to longevity society, NYCU has also been planning ahead since 2020 to set up a “Master Program in Transdisciplinary Long-term Care and Management” (hereinafter the ‘Long-term Care Program’), which focuses on practical applications and cross-disciplinary collaboration, breaking the traditional academic framework to nurture professional talents, who can promote innovative models of long-term care.
Not Just Caring But Creating a Better Life in Old Age
Long-term care is not just about providing care over time; it’s also about enhancing the quality of life for the elderly. (Photo credit: akaratwimages)
Long-term care is not a problem that a single discipline can solve, but a large-scale cross-disciplinary collaboration. NYCU's Long-term Care Program combines 16 departments in the fields of medicine, nursing, social sciences, and technology. Through a trans-disciplinary course design, students are trained to approach the issue of long-term care from a variety of perspectives. The program strengthens especially “knowledge-action integration.” In addition to learning policy and research analysis, students must solve real-world long-term care challenges through field projects, case discussions, and teamwork.
One of the program's highlights is the 160-hour advanced practice in long-term care management. Students will go to government agencies, hospitals, and long-term care organizations to practically apply what they have learned, witness the needs of the elderly on the front line, and participate in implementing on-site solutions in person. In this way, students will not only learn about long-term care, but also become promoters of long-term care reforming.
Happiness from a Dining Table: Improving the Elderly Lives with "Food"
The nurturing of this program has created a wave of long-term care innovation in society. For example, Master's student Wei-Cheng Ge started a “dining table revolution” by observing the elderly's eating difficulties. He found that many elders are unable to eat properly due to difficulties in swallowing and chewing, even affecting the absorption of nutrients and causing gradual weakening of their bodies. “What should have been a happy mealtime had become a painful challenge.” He decided to change all that.
In 2023, Wei-Cheng Ge initiated the “new style of elderly-friendly whole food meal research and development project” in his hometown of Gukeng of Yunlin, with the aim of making food more swallowable while retaining its original appearance and flavor through textured food (Note 2). He led the team to research and develop 60-friendly recipes and collaborated with elderly care organizations to provide over 200 meal boxes to the elderly in the community every week. This is not just a change in food, but also a kind of respect and care for the elderly. “It's about helping the elderly eat happily, enjoy their food, and no longer be afraid to eat, which is what long-term care should be doing,” He said.
What is even more surprising is that his project has not only received support from the elderly and their families, but has also attracted the local community's attention. “Our commensal canteen is now adjusting the texture of its meals so that the elderly can eat with greater peace of mind, and the impact of this is beyond imagination,” said Executive Director Lu of the Gao Lin community in Gukeng.
What is even more surprising is that his project has not only received support from the elderly and their families, but has also attracted the local community's attention. “Our commensal canteen is now adjusting the texture of its meals so that the elderly can eat with greater peace of mind, and the impact of this is beyond imagination,” said Executive Director Lu of the Gao Lin community in Gukeng.
Braised pork and chicken thighs level 4 meal provides the most complete nutritional care for those with swallowing difficulties. (Photo credit: CSR@天下)Program Alumni Practising Innovation for a Better Future in Long-term Care
Not only Wei-Cheng Ge, but also the alumni of this program are turning Taiwan's long-term care industry around in different ways. They're putting what they have learned into practice, starting companies, promoting policies, and even developing new technologies to make long-term care more user-friendly and technologically advanced.
For example, Zhi-Yang Zheng, who majored in law, combined law and long-term care after graduation and founded the “Taiwan Kangning Social Welfare Association,” which focuses on elderly guardianship, property trusts, and safety protection and solves the legal dilemmas of an aging society. Guo-Zheng Luo, a Chinese medicine practitioner, observed the need for long-term care in Miaoli and gathered professionals in Chinese medicine, social work, nursing, and nutrition to establish the “Local Day Care Centre,” which promotes long-term care services according to local characteristics. Alumna Yu-Ting Yeh transformed her childhood logical thinking games into “senior citizen brain training games,” obtained a patent, and founded a company that publishes senior citizen game book sets to help the elderly slow down their degeneration.
These innovations are not just independent cases, but a sweeping transformation demonstrating how the Long-term Care Program transforms interdisciplinary education into social impact.
In some people's eyes, perhaps, Taiwan's long-term care problem is a difficult challenge, but in NYCU's view, it is an opportunity to create happiness and hope.
Note 1: Taipei Veterans General Hospital is entrusted by the Department of Health of the Taipei City Government to operate and manage the Dao Xiang Community Long-Term Care Organization.
Note 2: The organization that established the International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative (IDDSI) has developed the "International Dysphagia Diet Standardisation Initiative Food and Drink Classification Standard" according to swallowing and chewing ability to stipulate different levels of food texture and liquid consistency. The Standard classifies foods into grades 3-7 and drinks into grades 0-4 so that food texture can be adapted to individual differences, and swallowing safety can be promoted.
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