Kenting has become a gold-lettered signboard for tropical island style vacation tourism, and Kenting Village, located in the heart of the tourism and travel area of Kenting National Park, has brought in significant tourism wealth. However, there are also concerns about an aging population. The county government has rebuilt the essential section of Kenting Main Street, where the two-story village activity center, now worth over a hundred million, is situated.
The ground floor is operated by Hengchun Christian Hospital as a daytime care center. County Magistrate Chou Chunmi, along with local dignitaries, unveiled the center today, ensuring that Kenting is not only a tourist ‘cash cow’ but also a great place for the elderly to live comfortably.
Zhou Chunmi states that the elderly population ratio in Pingtung County is 19.89%, higher than the national average of 18.1%. Providing community residents with accessible health promotion, prevention, and activities to delay the decline in the elderly is an urgent task. In Hengchun Town, the elderly population has reached 16.9%, entering an aging society.
The county government, in collaboration with the town office, has secured funds from the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s forward-looking plan to rebuild one elderly cultural and recreational center and two village activity centers. The first floor of the Kenting Village Activity Center is designated for the daytime care service managed by Hengchun Christian Hospital.
She mentions that the daytime care center not only provides convenient services but also represents another warm home for the elderly in the community. It creates a lovely, warm, and age-integrated environment. The center offers functional training for the elderly, promotes health and prevention, and organizes joyous activities closely aligned with the elders’ lifestyles. These activities enhance interpersonal interaction among the elderly and delay functional decline, allowing them to regain confidence and dignity in their lives. By the end of this October, a total of 61 places have been completely established. Kenting Village head Liu Qinming 劉琴鳴 says that with skyrocketing land prices in the Kenting business district, where building land has broken the 1.5 million per ping barrier, the hundred-ping area of the two-story village activity center is now valued at over a hundred million.
The director of Hengchun Christian Hospital, Song Hui 宋慧, says that the Kenting Day Care Center, starting from a single point of care, and the Eluanbi Day Care Center, which opened the year before last, form a line of care services. The Kenting Day Care Center is spacious and bright, with the lively and colorful “I Miss You Rabbit” cute decor, a central large tree art installation, an open kitchen with a central island, and a mixed-age area, creating a vibrant space that leads into professional and personal services, giving the elders a joyful mood.
A villager with the last name Tsai 蔡, who runs a bed and breakfast, says that after his 75-year-old father retired, he often spent time at home watching TV. The day care center has expanded his social circle, and his father’s smile has become more frequent.