In view of the increasingly high proportion of women and aged farmers in the rural villages, the COA undertook to assist them to practice modern health maintenance skills and preventive health care.

1. Life-long learning for rural women The work focuses on nutrition and health, aging with health, aging with dignity, care of the elderly, and financial management. The COA assisted rural homemaker groups to improve their functions and to narrow the digital gap among the rural women so that they may better manage their life. During the year, there were 2,652 training classes of various types with 59,200 participants, and 118 women received family-care training so as to better care for the sick and elderly in the families. Training classes on home-care and home-making services were also conducted with 784 graduates. Among them, 216 have found jobs in the related fields.
2. Care of the rural elderly and disabled Efforts were taken to assist the home-dwelling elderly to better manage their own lives and improve their adaptability to changing conditions by introducing preventive medicine. In this regard, 231 classes on life improvement for the elderly were conducted and 12,489 senior citizens received support services of various kinds. The COA continued to support 27 support centers incorporated into farmers’ associations in remote areas, trained 763 volunteers to care for 440 rural families with disabled members and those elderly who live alone, and provided services on information, counseling, and referral.