Taiwan's government is pouring more money into helping the people who care for elderly and disabled family members, a positive step for stretched caregiver families.

• Premier Cho Jung-tai says a wealthier welfare state should support caregivers, not just the people being cared for.
• The health ministry will spend NT$50.5 million next year to keep expanding a new "mutual respite" care model.
• As of June, 16 counties and cities had set up 49 mutual-respite sites, used more than 4,400 times.
• Subsidies for families using residential care homes will rise toward NT$180,000 per person a year, with delayed payments now being paid retroactively after the budget's long-stalled passage.
• Changhua County has drawn NT$25.5 billion in recent long-term care funding, alongside pushes for new industrial and medical-research projects.

Outlook: Expect the mutual-respite program and caregiver subsidies to keep growing as Taiwan adjusts to becoming a super-aged society.