Community healthcare system and its practice for Indigenous elders in Taiwan

Hui-Chuan Chiu; Chun-Yen Kuo; Chin-ying Lai

doi:10.1071/PY24129

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Community healthcare system and its practice for Indigenous elders in Taiwan

Hui-Chuan Chiu

^A , Chun-Yen Kuo ^B Chin-ying Lai ^A ^*

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Health and Social Welfare for Indigenous Peoples at Providence University, Taichung, Taiwan.

^B Department of Social Work and Child Welfare at Providence University, Taichung 43301, Taiwan. Email: cykuo2@gm.pu.edu.tw

^* Correspondence to: cylai1@pu.edu.tw

Australian Journal of Primary Health 31, PY24129 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY24129

Submitted: 16 September 2024 Accepted: 10 January 2025 Published: 4 February 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of La Trobe University. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

In 2017, Taiwan launched a dedicated long-term care plan for Indigenous peoples, enhancing tribal cultural health stations. By 2018, the Indigenous Council introduced a cultural safety mentoring program for caregivers, aiming to improve their cultural sensitivity in providing elder care. This article reviews practical experiences documented in the Indigenous culture care curriculum, examining examples of culturally sensitive care and proposing an elder care model suitable for Indigenous communities based on the findings. The development of social safety policies for Indigenous peoples underscores the critical role of cultural health stations in their welfare. Insights from these stations highlight their adaptation to meet local elders’ needs while respecting diverse tribal cultures. Challenges include aligning with policies, training caregivers effectively and ensuring operational efficiency. Addressing these issues requires stable caregiver salaries, proficiency in ethnic languages, and training programs to enhance professionalism and preserve elders’ traditional knowledge. Integrating this wisdom into future policies, along with collaboration with cultural experts, will build a robust foundation for future generations.

Keywords: community healthcare, culture care, Indigenous health services, long-term care, primary health care, suburban health services.

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