Changzhao industry │, which is brighter than sky lanterns, if Pingxi features old people, it will become a favorite place for old people.

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The sky lantern is rising in Pingxi, where people from all over the world come a long way to pray for good health and all the best. But Pingxi locals can only leave their hometown to make a living, and the old people who stay in their hometown are faced with lonely daily life, few newborns and scattered burning sky lanterns. How does Pingxi, the oldest town in Taiwan, face the problem of aging?

There is a serious imbalance in the population of Pingxi, the proportion of the elderly is surging, and the enrollment of primary schools is only three.

A wheat social welfare charity foundation, which has long promoted care for the elderly in rural areas, entered Pingxi three years ago. Liu Jingfang, director of the Maize New North Service Center, initially thought that Pingxi was a famous tourist attraction and that many young people should stay there. "but when we moved in, it was really scary! The local area is so old! " It is almost impossible for staff to find locally, transportation is inconvenient in neighboring areas, and lack of manpower makes it difficult to work locally.

"Pingxi is aging and its population structure is seriously out of balance, which is different from other townships." Liu Jingfang, for example, last year, there were only three first-year students in the three elementary schools in Pingxi. Apart from being unable to retain the young and middle-aged population, the birth rate is also extremely low, with a child-support ratio of only 9.67, that is, Pingxi faces less than 10 children per 100 adults (15 ─ 65 years old). "Pingxi really seems to have only old people and nothing else. It's a very old town." The situation of old people living alone and caring for each other is common.

Zhan Shulian, a waitress with a grain of wheat, works as a housekeeper for her father's return to his hometown (Photo / Liu Yixin)

A grain of wheat: I hope to grow old in my hometown, whether I am partial to my hometown or not.

Li Yuanyu points out that most of the old people in Pingxi are fairly healthy and choose to live in the mountains. "what makes people sad is loneliness." However, after the arrival of a grain of wheat, the situation of the elderly will be gradually improved. From meals, activities and parties, there will be local interaction, and the elders also have more places to pass the time. There are about 600 to 700 elderly people living in the area, and it is estimated that at least 10% to 20% of the elderly will take part in a wheat activity.

"serving the elderly will have a sense of urgency. How long can they wait?. Wait for the love of the children, wait for things that have never been enjoyed before, and wait for the concern of the general public for them. " Tsai Pik-Chen says that when she came to Pingxi for three years, she saw that her elders had been deteriorating. "do you think we haven't worked hard enough?" I can only say that it is too late to meet each other. To delay aging, it is necessary to start earlier, and the earlier you prepare, the more effective it is. " In some cases, it was too late. When a grain of wheat came in, the old man was too old to move his hands and feet, and he had even been sent to a nursing home. "so I have been in a hurry to make the old man feel as much as possible what he has never had before."

"Old people really need to be heard, and sometimes we just talk when we do nothing." Talk about life and death, talk about the regrets of the past, what else can make up for, "people in the moment of walking, can change their minds is enough, this is the value of our existence."

Liu Jingfang stressed, "if you have to leave your hometown because you are old, it is a comprehensive withdrawal for your elders, which is not a good thing." At least the rural community care system should be able to support the elderly with mild disability and let them stay in their hometown and grow old.