Changhua eldery protection program enrollment soarsBy Chang Tsung-chiu and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe number of people enrolled in a Changhua County Government program to reduce the risk of older people getting lost has expanded to 750, a fivefold increase from 150 in the previous year, the county’s Department of Social Affairs said on Saturday. The surge in enrollments came after officials relaxed eligibility requirements and introduced QR code-bearing cloth tabs as a less obtrusive alternative to radio frequency identification (RFID) devices, the department said. A woman sits at a table in Changhua County on Dec. 19, wearing a shirt with an embedded QR code, through which she can be identified. During last year’s budget review, a bipartisan panel of county councilors urged County Commissioner Wang Hui-mei (王惠美) of the KMT to improve the program. The changes have boosted enrollment in the program, while about 6,500 people have downloaded the program’s app, the department said.

Source: Taipei Times December 27, 2020 15:56 UTC