Population aging has become increasingly severe in developed
countries. For example, recent forecast data from Eurostat projects
that people aged 65 and older will comprise more than 28% of the
population in Germany, 25% in Italy, and 23% in France by 2030
(European Commission, 2012). Currently, the median age in Japan
is 41, making it the fastest aging country in the world (Barrows
et al., 2012). In Taiwan, the proportion of the population aged over
65 years has steadily increased since 1993, with the elderly population
reaching 10.7% at the end of 2010. The aging index for Taiwan
in 2010 (68.6%) was lower than that for Canada, Japan, and other
European countries, but higher than that for the U.S., New Zealand,
and other Asian countries (Taiwan Ministry of the Interior, 2012).
The results of a senior population survey published by the Statistics
Department of the Ministry of the Interior, Taiwan, showed that the
three life aspects ranked most desirable by seniors were “a healthy
life,” “a harmoniously life spent with family,” and “financial security.”
The top three concerns for the elderly were “personal health,”
“financial problems,” and “personal care issues” (Taiwan Ministry