Qingshui Changqing Happiness School (QCHS, 清水長青快樂學堂), the 11th nursing home for the elders in Taichung, was inaugurated by Mayor Lin Chia-lung on September 2. He praised the QCHSas a "five-star" nursing home for using the idle school space to provide such features as lifelong learning programs, elderly dinning together, shuttle bus service and professional management by a non-profit organization. He also hoped the Changqing Happiness School could promote health and welfare for the elderly and help relieve young people from worrying about their elders while at work.

Hondao Senior Citizen's Welfare Foundation (HSCWF, 弘道老人福利基金會) is entrusted to operatethe QCHS. The reason why Social Affairs Bureau chooses the HSCWF is that the HSCWF has a good track record in offering home services, community care services, and meal delivery services and it has run the Xitun District Changqing Happiness School (西屯區長青快樂學堂) pretty well. Established in the Ching Hai Junior High School (清海國中),the QCHS was unveiled by Mayor Lin together with Director-general of Social Affairs Bureau Lue Jen-der (呂建德);Legislator Tsai Qi-chang (蔡其昌); City Councilors Yu Bi-ling(尤碧鈴), Yan Li-min (顏莉敏), and Yang Dian-zhong (楊典忠); and some local village chiefs. Meanwhile, the Distinguished Citizens Society International (國際傑人會中華民國總會) donated a shuttle bus for the convenience of the elders.

Mayor Lin said, “The Qingshui Changqing Happiness School is a five-star nursing home. It provides such five features as lifelong learning programs, elderly dinning together, shuttle bus service, the use of idle school space, and the professional management by the Hondao Senior Citizen's Welfare Foundation, a non-profit organization. Among the five features, the elderly dinning together program will go together with our food banks and agricultural land activation policies. So, our elders will always enjoy healthy food ingredients.

"Life begins from 70 years old. Our elders will live to over one hundred years old and smile all the way!" Mayor Lin continued. “We will be very happy to see our grandpas and grandmas going to school every day. The film ‘Go Grand Riders (不老騎士)’ showsa group of elders aged over 80 years old on the average riding motorcycles around the island country of Taiwan. How vital and enthusiastic they are, and I hope our elders can be as active and energetic. The establishment of this Changqing Happiness School is to promote health and well-being for the elderly. I hope every one of us will pursue life-long learning, which is goodfor the elderly to reduce the chance of disability and relieve our young people from worrying about their elders when they go to work.”

Director-general of Social Affairs Bureau Lue Jen-dersaid, “Our goal is set up a nursing home for the elderly in each of the 29 administrative districts in Taichung City. It is hoped that our elders can enjoy daycare services close to home and have fun in learning, making friends and activating their mental and physical functions. Meanwhile, their children can go to work without worrying about their elders.”

Xu Jinlan (徐金蘭), President of the Distinguished Citizens Society International, led her members to donate a shuttle bus to facilitate the transportation need for the elders living in Qingshui region.

Social Affairs Bureau pointed out, “Our society is facing such problems as aging and declining birthrate at the same time. Thus, the city government has been trying to make better use of the idle space of school premises to offer daycare services for the elderly. The Ching Hai Junior High School is willing to promote inter-generational learning. Therefore, we have used some of its spare classrooms to set up this Changqing Happiness School here.”

Guo Ren-sheng (郭仁生), a 86-year-old grandpa, said, “I have been looking forward to the opening of Changqing Happiness School for years. I have prepared my schoolbag and I am ready to go to school. It is fun to learn even at my age.”

The QCHS is open for service from 9:00 to 15:00, Monday to Friday. It provides various kinds of culture, sports, health promotion programs and leisure activities. It also offers delicious lunch and comfortable lounge chairs for the elderly to take a nap. School begins from September 14. Tuition fee (meals included) is NT$1,500 per month. The elders can get a free trial during the period between September 14 and September 25. For registration, please contact the Hondao Senior Citizen's Welfare Foundation (Social Worker Yang at Tel: 04-23505555 ext. 14).