wfn.org | Church affiliated senior home makes seniors' lives happier and healthier

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>3036 Edition

>May 3~9, 2010

Church affiliated senior home makes seniors' lives happier and  healthier

>Reported by Lin Yi-ying

>Written by Lydia Ma

“In the past decade, we’ve had 193 residents come to us  asking to be baptized 
and become

Christians,” said Rev. Tai Yue-shin from Suan-Lien Elderly  Center during a 
recent forum on

>soul care and outreach for seniors.

He added that churches planning to minister to seniors by running  a senior 
home must shape

this ministry around physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of  seniors, and, 
most importantly,

must display genuine care and interest in seniors.

Recent surveys indicate that though there are a lot of seniors in  Taiwan in 
need of professional

care, the number of senior homes isn’t keeping up with the  number of seniors 
in this aging

society. However, the irony of this trend is that a survey of  senior homes 
around the country

revealed that they are far from being fully booked.

According to Ministry of Interior statistics, there were 2.4  million people 
above 65 years of age

in 2008 in Taiwan and about 1,070 senior homes. Though these homes  combined 
could

house at most only 65,000 seniors, they were on average 74% full.

Rev. Tai pointed out that most Taiwanese seniors hope to stay and  be cared for 
in their own

homes. However, in response to social trends, many seniors are now  more 
accepting of

professional care and choosing this option to enjoy a better  retirement with 
more dignity.

Senior homes such as Suan-Lien, which are run by churches as part  of their 
outreach ministry,

have truly nurtured to the body, soul, and spirit of seniors,  helping them 
become healthy in all

>aspects, said Rev. Tai.

He added that many seniors have been blessed by daily group  activities, 
fellowship times,

and interaction with other seniors, and now display more vitality  and 
self-confidence because

>of their Christian faith.

There are currently 366 residents at Suan-Lien Elderly Center and  267 of them 
are Christians.

In other words, 73% of residents are Christians.

For more information on Suan-Lien Elderly Center, visit  http://www.sleh.org.tw/

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