“So happy today,” said Grandma Wang with a cheery smile. In a bid to promote healthy aging and energize aging, Chang Yung-Fa Charity Foundation teamed up with Taipei Medical University’s School of Gerontology and held the Hi Life High Life for All Stages of Life Dragon Boat Festival celebration on June 6 at the Hui’an Village Community Center in Xinyi District, Taipei City. The event included muscle training with resistance bands, health maintenance lecture, fragrant parcel DIY, and the elders were treated to Zongzi (glutinous rice) as an advance Dragon Boat Festival celebration. Lin Qiu-Fen, chair of School of Gerontology, Taipei Medical University and Ye Chang-Jun, Hui’an Village chief also attended the event which was abuzz with 20 plus happy elders and School of Gerontology students. They all had a good time.

Chang Yung-Fa Charity Foundation works with Taipei Medical University’s School of Gerontology (TMU SOG) to combine university resources to host the “Energetic Years” workshops in a Xinyi District village, an educational service different from those offered by other community care station. Injected with youth energy, the workshops are led by SOG students showing the elders how to strengthen their muscles and balancing ability with resistance bands, plus gardening therapy, cognitive improvement, hand-eye coordination. Professional nutritionists are also invited to lecture on diets. Village elders with special skills are also invited to give, for instance, calligraphy or Chinese painting classes. At the end of each class, the students and the disadvantaged elders and those living alone will be treated to a nice meal under the Youths and Elders Dine Together initiative funded by the Foundation. The initiative allows the elders to absorb professional and diverse lessons and interact with young people attracting the elders who would have previously preferred to stay cooped up at home.

Grandma Wang said that every time she came here, she saw young people. It was a change of scenery for her. Being with energetic young people, she felt young again. The Foundation said, “Taipei Medical University utilizes professional know-how and helps the elders strengthen their muscles with resistance bands to prevent them from falling which is very important for the elders. Trying fragrant parcel DIY and writing calligraphy are also good for hand-eye coordination, giving the elders a sense of fulfillment and also preventing dementia. Chair of School of Gerontology Lin Qiu-Fen as the initiative leader said that Taiwan last March officially entered the aged society stage. Healthy aging is now everyone’s common goal. Thanks to the Foundation funding the TMU initiative, we can now help the elders restore their energetic years and retrieve a sense of happiness by getting out of the house, dining and chatting with friends and neighbors.

Chang Yung-Fa Charity Foundation has long been committed to the care of disadvantaged elders, funding social welfare groups that serve elders, donated vehicles for long-term care in remote rural areas, warm coats, hosted visits to the maritime museum, concerts and festive meals for Dragon Boat Festival and Elders’ Day celebration, plus winter dinners and dementia prevention road running competitions with the view of creating a loving friendly environment.