The “Yangming Crusade Yilan Team” formed by 24 medical students conducted simple health tests for nearly a thousand residents over 65 years old
This summer, the Yang Ming Crusade and National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Hospital continued their community service in Yilan for the ninth year in a row. From August 12 to 16, the crusade team visited every household in the villages of Zhongshan, Ximen, and Beimen in Yilan City to disseminate health-related knowledge and promote simple health examinations to almost 1,000 individuals aged 65 years or older.
This year, a total of 24 students from NYCU’s School of Medicine formed the “Yangming Crusade Yilan Team”. National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Hospital invited community residents and heads of local governments and organizations to attend the 109th Crusade Departure Ceremony on August 12. The event was held in front of Bisia Temple, a temple dedicated to the military general Yue Fei. In emulation of the famous story of Yue Fei being tattooed by his mother, President Shung-Haur Yang of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Hospital; Yilan City Mayor Cong-Yuan Jiang; Director General Nai-Wei Hsu of the Public Health Bureau, Yilan County; and Professor Pesus Chou of the Institute of Public Health, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University wrote words of encouragement on the back of the Crusaders’ uniforms, hoping that these future physicians will always remember the benevolent spirit a doctor should have.
According to National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Hospital, these community service efforts give prospective medical professionals an opportunity to get in touch with community residents and learn how to interact with the elderly people. Moreover, the passion and enthusiasm of the students could really help to enhance these elderly adults’ happiness and sense of well-being.
After eight years of hard work, the Yang Ming Crusade has visited all the elderly people in Yilan City. Since 2017, the Crusaders have begun providing follow-up care services. Through their efforts, the team has discovered that the incidence of chronic disease among elderly people in Yilan is growing because of the aging population. Specifically, 85% have developed one chronic disease, and almost 60% have developed two or more. On average, every elderly individual in Yilan has two chronic diseases. Moreover, the incidence of disability and dementia among this population increases with age.
Based on these findings, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Hospital has designed various health promotion and long-term care service strategies and obtained approval for the establishment of Class A service centers offering comprehensive community care. In response to community demands, a health promotion center was inaugurated in 2017, providing some comprehensive health promotion programs and services targeting elderly people as well as locating individuals in need of long-term care. After years of hard work, this year, a small-scale multifunctional service center was finally established, enabling National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University Hospital to further improve care services for elderly people in Yilan.
Link: https://enews.ym.edu.tw/w/ymnews425/focus_20082521334677316
