Due to the unprecedented phenomenon of rapid population aging, there’s a pressing need for large-scale interdisciplinary innovation strategies. Both the United Nations and the World Health Organization advocate for community-based approaches in promoting healthy aging. In 2017, the World Health Organization launched the “Integrated Care for Older People” initiative, complemented by the “Decade of Healthy Aging” from 2021 to 2030. These initiatives focus on developing interdisciplinary scientific evidence and community-based interventions to drive societal redesign. Our center, through interdisciplinary research spanning biology, clinical medicine, public health, information science, and artificial intelligence, implements concrete initiatives in various communities domestically. These initiatives hold substantial practical value for national efforts to promote healthy aging and enhance public health. Additionally, our center plans to implement community-based interventions in Taipei, New Taipei, Yilan, Hsinchu, and Taichung, leveraging community resources to promote tangible practices. These efforts aim to improve the health of the population and compress unhealthy lifespans, ultimately achieving the overarching goal of healthy aging. By translating foundational scientific research into community interventions, we aim to develop evidence-based strategies for promoting high-quality community health.

Our center began conducting local generational studies in Taiwan a decade ago. Currently, we have three ongoing aging cohort studies. One such study, conducted in collaboration with Taipei Veterans General Hospital, focuses on the Yilan aging cohort. This study has been ongoing for ten years (fourth wave), gaining international recognition and yielding numerous epidemiological and healthy aging research outcomes. Additionally, considering the differences between urban and rural areas, we initiated the Taipei-New Taipei Aging Cohort Study, which has been ongoing for over five years (second wave). This study aims to compare aging characteristics and healthcare needs between urban and rural populations aged 50 and above. Recognizing the unique health characteristics of the elderly, our center commenced a longitudinal cohort study of individuals aged 85 and above in Taichung since 2021. These three cohort studies complement each other, providing a comprehensive overview of Taiwan’s aging population. The high-quality data collected, including genetics, serum, imaging, and clinical data, serve as a research platform for healthy aging. We also progressively engage in international cooperation and comparative research to explore specific health aging characteristics unique to the Taiwanese population and develop corresponding strategies.

With the support of the Taiwan Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Health Research Institutes, our center has designed and executed the Taiwan Health Promotion Intervention Study of Community-Dwelling Elders (THISCE) and the Taiwan Integrated GERiatric Care Study (TIGER). These studies, characterized by high-level randomized controlled experiments, have garnered the highest level of evidence. Not only have their research outcomes received international recognition, but they have also become crucial evidence for promoting healthy aging domestically and internationally. The TIGER study was published in Lancet Healthy Longevity in 2022, establishing a multifaceted intervention model suitable for Taiwanese older adults and confirming its effectiveness. With a strong foundation in academic research and an extensive international cooperation network, these studies have exerted significant influence on both Taiwanese and international societies.

Based on these significant research outcomes, the “Prevention and Delay of Disability” policies of Taiwan’s Long-term Care 2.0 initiative have extensively adopted our center’s research designs for nationwide implementation. This implementation is being carried out in health centers across various counties and cities, receiving excellent responses from local health authorities and the Ministry of Health and Welfare. There are plans to further integrate these policies as the main national implementation models, with the expectation of effectively reducing unhealthy lifespans among the population. Additionally, our center, in collaboration with the Aging Medical Center team at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, has developed integrated outpatient clinics, integrated care in geriatric medical wards, acute post-acute care, and integrated models for day care centers. These research outcomes with local characteristics have become policy references for the National Health Insurance Administration and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, gradually becoming the core of the national health care system.

In summary, the social contributions generated by our research outcomes are consistently focused on utilizing rigorous research designs and academic findings to address the issues arising from population aging in Taiwan. These high-quality academic research outcomes serve as the foundation for policy-making, facilitating evidence-based policy-making efforts. This approach allows Taiwan to plan strategies in line with scientific evidence amid rapid demographic shifts towards aging populations.