The Senior Citizens Service Team formed by the Bachelor Degree Program in Senior Service at Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology and the Department of Electronic Engineering held a conference on “Building A Friendly Community for A Long-Term Caring of Senior Citizens” in the International Conference Hall of the University on the 20th of March.

【President Deng-Maw Lu of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology】

The event presented the achievements of the program in the form of carnival and contest. In addition to the fact that the teachers and students of the program were fully committed to the activity, the elders in Jinhua Community also exhibited their most proud “Youth and Silver Youth Carnival” in the contest. A total of 13 teams participated in the event. During the meeting, the executives of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, community seniors, distinguished guests and students in the school were invited to experience all the activities and do their voting. Six great awards were given: Best Popularity Award, Best Invention Inventor Award, Creative Talent Award, Design Talent Award, Technology Talent Award, and Career Award. In addition to giving the best recognition to the students and elders who participated in the program and the course activities, STUST also took this project to promote the practical testing of senior citizens. The Carnival team formed by the senior members of the Jinhua Community won the Best of Popularity award. The meeting also invited Wan-Ying Lin, Long Yao Research Project Manager of Jihrong Foundation, to share her "Voice of the Elders’ Demand in Taiwan." Hwa-Juan Wang, Deputy General Manager of FUROTO Medical and Welfare Co. Ltd. to share her "Demand for Senior Citizens Care Industry" for the development of senior social industry.

【Kun-Chang Ke, Head of Jinhua Community in Taiwan City, was delivering his speech】

According to Director Mei-Zhu Chen of the Senior Service Program, in the face of the advent of a senior society, local aging and healthy aging are the most mainstream policies for the development of long-term elderly care in advanced countries. As a result, elderly people are encouraged to enjoy happiness, health, and independence in the community. With dignity, a friendly and comfortable life is the first priority. “Building a Friendly Community for a Long-Term Caring of Senior Citizens” presents the results of the University Social Responsibility Plan for the year 2006. It shows the students' humanistic concerns and their professional input on the site. It also shows the community’s care for the elderly people through different learning and activities. This not only allows the elders of the community to achieve safety at home, physical and mental healing, and the sustainability of health promotion, but also gives the elders a sense of joy to enhance their self-value.

【In the carnival of “Building a Friendly Community for a Long-Term Caring of Senior Citizens】

According to Director Yu-Chun Du of the Research and Development Center for Innovative Medical Care and Technology, the introduction of science and technology is an important tool for building a friendly community for the elderly in the future. How to create a system close to the elderly and a friendly basis to assist the elderly is an important issue for the current social workers on medical care and health care. In addition to designing for the purpose of community feedback, care needs, home security, or health promotion, the team’s technology development uses a humanistic attitude to offer various requirements and thereby achieve a better relationship with current technology thresholds and development costs. It also looks forward to being able to create different characteristics for different communities. The carnival showcased the application of virtual reality health promotion games for the elders as well as home safety and security networking and other facilities, bringing a different experience of new-age friendly service to the nearly 200 experts, guests, community seniors, and teachers and students of STUST.

【Intelligent Care Technical Personnel Display allowed elders to have on-site experience】

President Deng-Maw Lu of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology said that Southern Taiwan University Science and Technology University has always attached great importance to the implementation of university social responsibility and has incorporated social responsibility into the core value of school development. This year, it was also granted the USR Program of the Ministry of Education with the highest grant of NT$ 170 million for private colleges and universities. Through the USR Program, STUST encourages outstanding professors in the school to bring students into society to interact with the local community. In response to the advent of Taiwan’s aging society, “Building a Friendly Community for a Long-Term Caring of Senior Citizens” addresses one of the local responsibilities that Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology attaches great importance to. The senior welfare service team working with Jinhua Community is an inter-hospital, cross- domain integrated team. With participating members continuously increasing, the team hopes to help the community to offer a variety of services, including health promotion, smart health care, cultural heritage protection, entertaining, and many other services for a community. Together with the Jinhua community, it will become a friendly community for the elderly people. With its international WHO certification, it will take the Jinhua community as a starting point to spread the model services to other rural communities and gradually turn Tainan City into a senior-friendly city.

【The elders of Jinhua Community showed their “Green and Silver Creation Carnival” and invited Director Mei-Zhu Chen of the Senior Service Program (second from left) to take a photo with them】

The achievement exhibition also invites professionals to participate in the event. In order to be fully linked with industrial resources, a comprehensive discussion were held to jointly promote human resources training, technology research and development, intelligent senior courses, industry-university cooperation and international cooperation, hoping to make more contribution to building a great system for long-term caring of senior citizens”.

【“Building a Friendly Community for a Long-Term Caring of Senior Citizens” invited President Deng-Maw Lu Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, (5th from left), Director Mei-Zhu Chen of the Senior Service Program (1st from left), and Kun-Chang Ke, Head of Jinhua Community in Taiwan City, (4th from left) and other honorable guests】

【“Achievement Exhibition of Friendly Communities for Senior Citizens” invited President Deng-Maw Lu of Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology (second from left in the second row) to take a group photo with the teachers and guests】