The 5th Global Views Magazine “University Social Responsibility Awards” were held on April 9th, 2024; and since they first took form in 2020, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) has not been found absent a single time. This year, Professor Kui Kasirisir and his team from the NPUST Department of Social Work submitted a “Common Good and Friendly Local Care for the Elderly” project for consideration under the Welfare and Coexistence category. Their project was designed to address Pingtung County’s aging population issues by promoting local age-friendly common care. Favored by the judges, the team was awarded the Role Model Award for their work. NPUST President Chin-Lung Chang accepted the award on behalf of the school.
When accepting the award, President Chin-Lung Chang said: “Last year NPUST became the first prize to win the Green Campus Award. When it comes to environmental issues, our pursuit of excellence has continuously resulted in favorable performances on the GreenMetric University Rankings. Now, as our school emphasizes cross-domain activities, our attention to the environment has spread to include a human element. This award demonstrates our school’s concern and care for our aging society. We are grateful to the Pingtung County Government for their financial support. Together with the Department of Long-term Care, Department of Social Affairs, Public Health Bureau, and the Department of Indigenous Peoples, we are caring for the well-being of indigenous people in Pingtung County and have been able to establish an indigenous people’s long-term care services research and development center. According to the school’s basic approach towards health integration, NPUST will continue to promote friendly communities and long-term care for the elderly.”
Professor Kui Kasirisir and other teachers from the NPUST Department of Social Work have formed a team which has been deeply involved in Pingtung for many years. Together with the Pingtung County Public Health Bureau and 15 township level health clinics in Pingtung County, they have been working to promote friendly elderly community services, counseling and training. Working with Pingtung County Department of Social Affairs, they have also been conducting research on community care for the elderly, and assisting with the development of policy recommendations to prepare for the advent of a super-aged society in Pingtung County. Furthermore, they have been actively cooperating with the Pingtung County Department of Long-term Care to promote rights to an adequate standard of living for indigenous people, and have created the “Indigenous Long-term Care Information Platform” and “Indigenous Long-term Care Services Research and Development Center” so that they can build a tribal care model adapted to local culture and conditions.
The proportion of Pingtung’s elderly population will reach 20.14% in 2024, meaning that it has already become a super-aged society. To address related needs, NPUST has formulated and been promoting a “Platinum Society” initiative as one of its four main axes development for a number of years. Research under this umbrella of activity has resulted in high-quality products and services for seniors, and the cultivation of the type of talent needed by related industries. Whether it be the production and manufacturing of healthy and functional food, the creation of home care systems, or the promotion of sports and fitness care for the elderly, NPUST has address it all. In the future the university plans to continue to work with local governments to fulfill its USR obligations and help further sustainable goals.
