ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the development of community care policy and its practice in Taiwan. It describes the meaning of community care in the Taiwanese context and presents the development of community care policy and practice up to the present day. Compared to the definitions suggested by the 1989 UK White Paper and Bulmer, the meaning of community care in the Taiwanese context is rather confused. Policies and legislation relating to community care for elderly people are rather new. The provision of community care in practice can be divided into two parts: social and health sectors. Governments have commissioned non-profit voluntary sector organizations to provide care through subsidy or contracting-out. Influenced by the idea of ‘welfare pluralism’ and the strategy of ‘the mixed economy of welfare’ the voluntary sector has been regarded as a feasible means of providing care for elderly people.
