Smart Retirement Homes: A Cure for Taiwan's Ageing Problem?

Imagine a day like this in your future: as the rosy dawn light wakes you up, a motion sensor detects your movement and automatically lights up the room. You hold a customized handrail and step on the carpet that incorporates built-in safety technology. Everything in your life is safe, carefree, and convenient thanks to AI control. This is a smart retirement home, the future of elderly living care.

Smart retirement homes are specifically built for the elderly and include integrated　management systems that provide a senior-friendly environment. Each living space is designed for seniors 50 or older, and must meet strict criteria such as safety and accessibility. It should also provide basic medical care and a quiet environment. Existing smart retirement homes offer recreational group activities and community services that improve the quality of living for the elderly.

Smart retirement homes could be one of the solutions to Taiwan's ageing society, as a rising elderly population continues to put a major strain on the government budget. Like other countries that are in a similar predicament, Taiwan has a low birthrate, low sub-replacement fertility rate, and a shrinking number of available workers. Taiwan has an elderly population that comprises at least 7 percent of the total population; it is on track to becoming a "hyper-ageing" society, in which the elderly are predicted to make up 20 percent of the population by 2025. Within 10 years, Taiwan will overtake Japan as the fastest-ageing nation in the world.

智慧銀髮宅：台灣高齡化社會的救星？

想像你未來某一天的情況：明亮的晨光喚醒了你，動作感測器偵測到你的動作、自動地點亮臥房。你扶著特製扶手，踏在融合了內建安全技術的地墊上。你生活中的每件事都因有了人工智慧的控管而安全、無慮且便利。這就是智慧型銀髮宅，長者生活照護的未來。
智慧型銀髮宅是特別為老人所建置的，以整合的管理系統來提供適合長者居住的環境。每個居住空間都是針對五十歲以上的長者所設計，且須符合安全和無障礙這些嚴格的標準。此居住空間也應提供基本的醫療照護和寧靜的環境。現有的智慧型銀髮宅提供團體休閒活動和社區服務，提升長者的生活品質。
隨著攀升的高齡人口持續為政府的預算帶來龐大壓力，智慧型銀髮宅可能是台灣高齡化社會的解決方案之一。與其它處於類似困境的國家一樣，台灣有低生育率、少子化及可勞動人口減少的問題。台灣的老年人口占全部人口數至少 7%，正踏上「超高齡化」社會的路途。在 2025 年之前，老年人預計會占總人口的兩成。十年內，台灣則將超越日本，成為世界上人口老化速度最快的國家。