Tainan Long-term Care Tragedy: 90-year-old Woman Dies, Ministry of Health and Welfare Urges Local Governments to Strengthen Horizontal Connections and Screening Linkages
Following a tragic 'elderly caring for elderly' murder in Tainan, the Ministry of Health and Welfare is urging local governments to strengthen inter-system coordination and enhance screening for high-burden families. Through Long-term Care 3.0, the ministry aims to alleviate the burden on family caregivers and reinforce the social safety net.
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- 📰 Published: May 1, 2026 at 22:27
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Shen Pei-yao, Taipei, 1st) Following the tragic 'elderly caring for elderly' incident in Tainan where an elderly sister killed her bedridden sister, the Ministry of Health and Welfare stated that it will supervise local governments to strengthen inter-system connections, promote the 1966 long-term care hotline, and use initial screening tools to identify potential high-risk cases. Coupled with the integration of Long-term Care 3.0 with the social safety net, it hopes to reduce burdens through multiple channels and prevent similar tragedies from recurring.
On April 29th, an 84-year-old woman surnamed Yeh in Tainan's West Central District allegedly killed her 90-year-old sister by slitting her throat with a knife. Police investigation revealed that the sisters lived together, and the bedridden sister wished to die, prompting the younger sister to act and then report herself to the police. After the case was transferred, the Tainan District Prosecutors Office approved her detention yesterday.
Regarding this long-term care tragedy, Wu Hsi-wen, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Long-term Care Department, told the Central News Agency today that the family had recently applied for a long-term care needs assessment. Care managers immediately visited and encouraged the use of relevant services, but the tragedy occurred before services could be utilized.
Wu Hsi-wen pointed out that to strengthen the current system, the ministry will continue to supervise local governments to improve horizontal connections and referral mechanisms between village/neighborhood civil affairs systems and social welfare units. In addition to urging the public to utilize the "1966 Long-term Care Hotline" to apply for long-term care services, care managers will also use initial screening tools for high-burden families during home assessments to identify potential high-burden family caregivers as much as possible and refer them to relevant resources.
Long-term Care 3.0 officially launched this year, focusing on universal care resources, strengthened family support, and improved professional coordination. Wu Hsi-wen said that "Long-term Care 3.0" will continue to expand support resources for family caregivers and integrate with the social safety net system. Through early warning and promotion by grassroots village/neighborhood organizations, the goal is to identify people in need early and prevent social tragedies caused by excessive care burden from recurring.
As Taiwan officially enters a super-aged society, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has allocated NT$6.25 billion in budget to visit 700,000 elderly living alone nationwide within two years, starting this year. Services will be provided based on needs, including greetings, care, emergency rescue services, and daily meal delivery, categorized into four levels.
Chou Dao-chun, Director-General of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Social and Family Affairs Administration, explained the inventory situation. Currently, household registration data is being connected with the Ministry of the Interior. Target groups include households with only one elder aged 65 or above, couples both aged 65 or above, or households where all cohabiting members are elderly.
Chou Dao-chun stated that relevant data will be provided to various county and city governments, which will then combine village/neighborhood civil affairs systems and grassroots community service units to conduct on-site visits, understanding the living conditions and actual daily needs of the elderly through cross-system horizontal cooperation.
As for the disposition mechanism after visits, Chou Dao-chun said that differentiated management will be adopted based on the individual's living situation. If an elder is found to have long-term care needs, or meets the qualifications for low-income or middle-to-low-income households, they will be immediately referred to existing service systems for care or financial support.
Chou Dao-chun emphasized that even if an individual does not have urgent service needs for the time being, a certain frequency of care, such as weekly or monthly, will be maintained as appropriate to ensure continued connection with the social system. (Editor: Chen Ching-fang) 1150501
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(Central News Agency reporter Shen Pei-yao, Taipei, 1st) Following the tragic 'elderly caring for elderly' incident in Tainan where an elderly sister killed her bedridden sister, the Ministry of Health and Welfare stated that it will supervise local governments to strengthen inter-system connections, promote the 1966 long-term care hotline, and use initial screening tools to identify potential high-risk cases. Coupled with the integration of Long-term Care 3.0 with the social safety net, it hopes to reduce burdens through multiple channels and prevent similar tragedies from recurring.
On April 29th, an 84-year-old woman surnamed Yeh in Tainan's West Central District allegedly killed her 90-year-old sister by slitting her throat with a knife. Police investigation revealed that the sisters lived together, and the bedridden sister wished to die, prompting the younger sister to act and then report herself to the police. After the case was transferred, the Tainan District Prosecutors Office approved her detention yesterday.
Regarding this long-term care tragedy, Wu Hsi-wen, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Long-term Care Department, told the Central News Agency today that the family had recently applied for a long-term care needs assessment. Care managers immediately visited and encouraged the use of relevant services, but the tragedy occurred before services could be utilized.
Wu Hsi-wen pointed out that to strengthen the current system, the ministry will continue to supervise local governments to improve horizontal connections and referral mechanisms between village/neighborhood civil affairs systems and social welfare units. In addition to urging the public to utilize the "1966 Long-term Care Hotline" to apply for long-term care services, care managers will also use initial screening tools for high-burden families during home assessments to identify potential high-burden family caregivers as much as possible and refer them to relevant resources.
Long-term Care 3.0 officially launched this year, focusing on universal care resources, strengthened family support, and improved professional coordination. Wu Hsi-wen said that "Long-term Care 3.0" will continue to expand support resources for family caregivers and integrate with the social safety net system. Through early warning and promotion by grassroots village/neighborhood organizations, the goal is to identify people in need early and prevent social tragedies caused by excessive care burden from recurring.
As Taiwan officially enters a super-aged society, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has allocated NT$6.25 billion in budget to visit 700,000 elderly living alone nationwide within two years, starting this year. Services will be provided based on needs, including greetings, care, emergency rescue services, and daily meal delivery, categorized into four levels.
Chou Dao-chun, Director-General of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Social and Family Affairs Administration, explained the inventory situation. Currently, household registration data is being connected with the Ministry of the Interior. Target groups include households with only one elder aged 65 or above, couples both aged 65 or above, or households where all cohabiting members are elderly.
Chou Dao-chun stated that relevant data will be provided to various county and city governments, which will then combine village/neighborhood civil affairs systems and grassroots community service units to conduct on-site visits, understanding the living conditions and actual daily needs of the elderly through cross-system horizontal cooperation.
As for the disposition mechanism after visits, Chou Dao-chun said that differentiated management will be adopted based on the individual's living situation. If an elder is found to have long-term care needs, or meets the qualifications for low-income or middle-to-low-income households, they will be immediately referred to existing service systems for care or financial support.
Chou Dao-chun emphasized that even if an individual does not have urgent service needs for the time being, a certain frequency of care, such as weekly or monthly, will be maintained as appropriate to ensure continued connection with the social system. (Editor: Chen Ching-fang) 1150501
Choose to stand with facts, every sponsorship you make is a force to protect press freedom.
Download the Central News Agency "First-hand News" APP to stay updated with the latest news.
The text, images, and audio-visual content on this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast, or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.