[The functional structure of Taiwan's Pilot Telecare Project].

In order to respond to the growth of the elderly population, to achieve the goal of "aging in place," and to promote the vital development of the healthcare industry, the Department of Health, under Taiwan's Executive Yuan, commissioned a Telecare project in 2007 to manage long-term care needs by utilizing information technologies to support healthcare. With the collaboration of medical institutions, information and communications technology laboratories, and home security providers, and in order to establish comprehensive health service provision, the project team has planned and established not only community-based care services, home-based care services, and institution-based care services, but also a Telecare information integration platform to support care management, exchange of information, and information security. The Telecare project pilot study is expected to prove the efficacy of this innovative service model and bring long-term care services in Taiwan into a new era.