The vision of the Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology is "Innovative Service, Teamwork, and Honoring Life." In response to the emergence of a super-aged society and the need to establish an elderly-friendly environment that supports healthy aging, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital established the Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology in 2004. In 2014, the first dedicated Geriatric Building was established, and in 2016, the hospital actively promoted a network that integrates acute medical care with long-term care. Through elderly-friendly integrated care, the center offers a continuum of services—from community-based disability prevention and care, to elder-friendly acute medical care, and integrated discharge transitions focusing on functional recovery, while also building a long-term care network.
Key developments include:
Community-Based Integrated Care for Healthy Aging (WHO's ICOPE functional assessment and integrated care, community-based disability and dementia prevention models, and establishment of integrated outpatient clinics for the elderly),Elder-Friendly Acute Care (elder-friendly emergency and inpatient care),Innovative Seamless Discharge Integration (establishing innovative post-acute care, pioneering seamless transitions from hospital discharge to long-term care),Creating an A+ Community-Based Long-Term Care System (a comprehensive network integrating medical and long-term care, one-stop assistive device services, the first community-based long-term care services at a medical center level in Taiwan, innovative end-to-end home medical smart care, and enhancing the integrated health care service network in the Kaohsiung-Pingtung-Penghu region),Comprehensive Dementia Holistic Care (integrated dementia outpatient care and shared care during hospitalization).
The center’s efforts in building a society that supports healthy aging have been recognized with top honors from the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Health Promotion Administration, the National Biotechnology and Medical Care Quality Award SNQ "Bronze Award," making it the first in Taiwan, and the Joint Commission of Taiwan's 2023 National Quality Award for "Center of Excellence."