Social Welfare Transformation and Community Governance Model for the Aging Generation: Rural Community Care in Chiayi County as a Case Study

Over the past two decades, Taiwan’s welfare policies for the elderly have prepared for the arrival of an aged society with the aim of facilitating aging in place (AIP). The Long-Term Care Services Act passed by the Legislative Yuan in 2015 set regulations for long-term care personnel, thereby improving the welfare system for the elderly. The government’s AIP policies focus on providing welfare institutions or service units and do not sufficiently explore key factors such as the relationship between care services and community governance models. Since the basic focus of elderly welfare policies is AIP, it is important to actively empower grassroots community organizations and consider the elderly as important subjects of community participation. AIP policies emphasize providing long-term care and nurturing the elderly until death; such policies will be more proactive and innovative if coproduction is incorporated. This study briefly discusses theories related to coproduction using the case study of Chiayi County’s Dingcaiyian Community Development Association, which links six communities in remote rural villages and establishes a community care network based on the coproduction concept. Follow-up issues related to community care are considered and potential practices and ideas to guide social welfare transformation and community governance in the future are discussed.