The Ministry of Transportation and Communications, recently suggested the idea of incorporating the Post Office in the national long-term care system. This idea was inspired by Japan Post, which aside from nomal postal duties, they also provides elderly care services, where families pay for the post office to send staff to periodically visit their elderly relatives and report back to the family. However, academics say that the expenses involved will be a major problem if the service were to officially become part of the long-term care system.
As always, this postal worker stops by this elderly senior's home to say hello and chat. This is a service Chunghwa Post offers in rural areas, in which postal workers voluntarily visit seniors living alone in coordination with social services and local authorities. Mrs. Wu Wang, of Tainan City's Xinying District, says that the service is comforting to her because her children and grandchildren all live far away.
==WU WANG PI-LIEN Xinying District Resident, Tainan City==
It feels very nice, very warm.
==HUANG HSIN-YI Minrong Borough Chief, Xinying District, Tainan City==
Sometimes it's hard for us to keep tabs on these seniors, so they can help us. We really welcome their assistance in these matters.
Some postal workers even bring food to the seniors. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is now considering officially incorporating these postal workers into the long-term care system, inspired by Japan. However, the services offered by Japan Post are regulated by contracts and require payment. One 30-minute visit per month costs 1,980 yen.
==TSAI ZHENG-JIA Researcher, NCCU Institute of International Relations==
Japan's seniors actually pay nothing for this service by Japan Post, because it is paid for by their long-term care insurance. Japan Post began providing the service more than a decade after the insurance was implemented. So it was a supporting measure in their overall system.
Academics say that Japan's long-term care insurance system pays for this service provided by Japan Post, and that postal workers who visit seniors must be trained and evaluated. Taiwan must identify a funding source and devise a way to evaluate the service providers if it is to imitate Japan's system.
TRANSLATED BY：JOHN CHEN
交通部之所以拋出以郵局加入長照計畫的構想，主要也是看到鄰近的"日本郵便"，提供長者照護服務，郵局可以派員定期訪視，並回報家屬，但需要收費。其實中華郵政從民國87年起也開始提供關懷服務，只不過是自發性而且無報酬的附加服務，學者認為，真要納入長照的一環，光是衍生的費用就是一大問題。
送信途中，經過獨居長者的家，郵差一如往常，下車打招呼外，還進到屋裡閒話家常 。
這是中華郵政目前在偏鄉實施的關懷服務，郵差配合社服機構和地方政府，探視獨居長者，不強制，屬於是自發性附加服務，這位住在台南市新營區的吳王老太太說，因為孩子孫子都不在身邊，這個服務讓她覺得很溫暖。
==新營市民 吳王碧蓮==
覺得很親切 很溫暖
==新營民榮里長 黃新義 ==
有時候我們看不太到
他們可以幫忙
這部分我也非常歡迎
來幫我們做這些工作
常常相處之下，甚至也有郵差主動送餐，交通部也因此構思要將郵差納入長照服務，效法鄰近國家日本，提供長輩照護服務，不過實際到日本郵便的官方網站查詢，這項長者照護服務、其實是需要簽訂契約並收取費用，以每個月一次，30分鐘的探視為例，收費日幣1980，金額隨次數時間不同有所調整。
==政大國關中心亞太所研究員 蔡增家==
日本的老人由郵便局
來提供這樣的服務
其實都是免費的
那因為都是由他們的
一個保險來支付
他的一個這樣的保險
實施了十幾年之後
才由郵便局來去做這樣的服務
所以可見他們也是
把這個是當成一個配套措施
學者表示，日本郵便這項業務是由長照保險支付費用，而上門訪視的郵局社員也都需要經過受訓考核，台灣若想效法日本，光是探視人員的考核，和登門探視衍生的費用，由誰支出，就是一大問題，建議政府要有完整配套
