The progress of health and vitality well into older age depends on community initiatives and developing the aging industry.
During a Friday afternoon hike with a friend in Yangmingshan National Park at the mountain’s peak, some 1,000 meters high, we realized we were the two youngest hikers by one generation’s gap at least, with dozens of retirees perched around us catching their breath. As Taiwan draws closer to becoming a super-aged society, it was pleasant to see that age is becoming less likely to foil a person’s fitness.
The most recent World Health Organization (WHO) data shows that of all WHO regions, the Western Pacific – including Australia, Japan, Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan – ranked highest in healthy life expectancy (HLE) at birth (68.6 years old), ahead of Europe (68.3 years old) and the Americas (66.2 years old). The European Commission defines HLE as the number of years a person is expected to live “without an activity limitation (disability).”
Whether it’s in lush city parks or traversing the island’s many trails, an increasing number of Taiwanese senior citizens are out making the most of some fresh air and physical activity as pressure grows for active aging to not only sustain and optimize opportunities for better health as people age but also meet the diverse needs of an aging population.
In her 2016 article on Taiwan’s aging population’s impact on gerontology, Dr. Lin Yi-yin says, “Health is one of the issues that most Taiwanese older adults worry about.” However, she says that finding ways to encourage more nongovernment organizations to be involved in the aging industry has been a major challenge in Taiwan.
Sure, thanks to the government, every district in Taipei has a recreation center with a swimming pool that is open until 10 p.m. and grants free access to senior citizens. The government also encourages older people to get out of the house and avoid being a “couch potato” by providing them with a fixed amount to use the MRT and HSR and even book domestic flights. The government is incentivizing seniors to go outside at a very low cost.
However, Taiwanese people place a strong emphasis on community-based support, especially when aging in place, described by Dr. Lin as the long-term care period for disabled older adults. Both family and paid caregivers often lack professional training, and government services aren’t considered flexible enough or require specific qualifications.
“You want to reduce the hospitalization period toward the end of your life,” says Lee Ji-ren, a retired National Taiwan University professor. Many people maintain good health because of the fear of prolonged suffering while aging in place. In addition, not wanting to be a burden on family motivates them to be more active. To avoid a deteriorating quality of life and undermined sense of dignity, it’s important to make early efforts to preserve one’s good health as long as possible, says Lee.
Grassroots support
“In the six years since our founding, membership in the 55-year-old and up demographic has gone from about 6% of our membership to around 17%, so we definitely see the trend,” says John Caraccio, president of World Gym Taiwan. Like Lee, he attributes this rise in membership to growing awareness of the need to take personal responsibility for enhancing longevity, mobility, and health spans.
Taiwan’s commercial gyms are stepping up to the plate to aid senior citizens looking for enhanced exercises and personalized attention. Fitness clubs are still widely considered to be mainly geared toward younger customers. However, the creation of regularly scheduled and diversified classes at World Gym – from Zumba and aerobics to cycling and high-intensity training – has had widespread appeal for older age groups. Besides the boost to participants’ physical condition, the classes also foster opportunities to socialize beyond family and neighbors. And unlike the younger members, senior citizens are much more likely to utilize the full breadth of the gym’s facilities, including its steam rooms and jacuzzies, says Caraccio.
Part of promoting active aging is to address the needs of an aging population, which, in Taiwan, means reducing the heavy financial burden on the National Health Insurance system. World Gym Taiwan has added two doctors to its board of directors, who are working with their respective hospitals to increase the number of diagnostics tests that can be run in the club, says Caraccio. For example, in the pipeline are blood work, DNA profiling, oxygen absorption tests, and cardio-tracking devices to help World Gym’s members keep an eye out for the ”Four Horsemen of disease”: cardiovascular disease, cancer, metabolic disease, and mental degradation through Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Less obvious than fitness centers but also influential in the promotion of healthier lifestyles among seniors is the ubiquitous LINE app. It provides the elderly with robust networks of information sharing, including the circulation of mass invitations to large-scale fitness events.
LINE, the dominant messaging platform in Taiwan, is proving to be a fundamental tool in bringing senior citizens together in a collective movement toward a longer, healthier life. Lee – who holds two national records for the 100-kilometer and 12-hour marathons in the 65-year-old age category – is actively involved in the marathon-runner interest groups that connect through LINE and strongly encourage his peers to join.
Lee and his running mates are helping to raise Taiwan’s HLE average even higher. An easygoing and spry 66-year-old, he began his marathon journey at 50 years of age, surpassed his personal best record at 60, achieved two national records in his 60s, and completed 75 marathons. Lee is determined to run 100 marathons before reaching the age of 70.
Though a superstar marathon runner in his own right, Lee is very clear that many people don’t really “run” marathons. “They can run, but most people do slow jogging. And beyond 50, a lot of people won’t maintain a marathon routine, so they just go jogging every two days or whenever they can – that’s very popular.”
The number of marathon runners in the upper-age categories is small but growing. In Taiwan, as many as 500 to 600 running events were held each year pre-pandemic and more than 400 events after Covid restrictions were lifted, giving ample opportunity to join. The website running.biji.co (運動筆記) provides a full list of events with details for anyone interested in joining, running, and connecting.
Running a marathon, like any physical activity, calls for being in tune with your body. For senior citizens, it’s even more crucial to carefully feel out how their bodies respond to movement and stress, as susceptibility to injury increases later in life. Fortunately, businesses around Taiwan are recognizing and tapping into the rising consumer base of senior citizens seeking resources to stay on top of their health.
“A lot of older people, like my parents, do marathons every month,” says Spark Protein Co-founder Davie Yeh. “They add a lot of their friends to the LINE group and go together.” After finishing one marathon and beginning their next, muscle fatigue became increasingly apparent. With this, they started to recognize the need for and seek out supplements to enhance their performance by helping with swift muscle recovery, he says.
Spark Protein is a Taiwanese high-quality protein foods developer founded in 2018. The company, which started with homemade products concocted in Yeh’s kitchen, has experienced a significant rise in appeal among female and elderly customers. Yeh notes that senior citizens are gaining a newfound appreciation of quality products that can help them relieve the aches and pains that accompany aging and feel restored.
A survey by the market data provider Statista in 2022 found that the frequency of taking dietary supplements daily was highest among respondents aged 55 and above in Taiwan, with 75% reporting daily use. The most commonly consumed supplements among the elderly in Taiwan include glucosamine, multivitamins and minerals, calcium, fish oil, and vitamin B complex. Additionally, the Health Promotion Administration reports that higher education levels correlate with a higher likelihood of consuming multiple vitamins daily.
“We’ve gotten feedback that more people in their 30s and 40s are also buying our products to provide care for their parents, so they can be less worried about their health,” says Yeh. Parents are often unfamiliar with the health benefits of dietary supplements but are sincerely interested in learning more and ask for tips on becoming healthier, he says.
For those who don’t exercise, maintaining a good diet is a vital step to improving health outcomes. Some education toward this end is supported by the Health Promotion Administration; however, the most impactful and relatable instructors are often the people in our community. But in either the case of diet or exercise, motivation has to come from within. “Everyone has a different kind of trigger to start” working on boosting and preserving their health, says Lee. “When you find that trigger, use it to stimulate how you’ll proceed.”
