Scavenger Hunt Brings Lunar New Year Cheer to Taipei Seniors
A group of senior citizens browses this Taipei mall, guided by uniformed volunteers. All around are decorations and wishes for a prosperous Lunar New Year—reminders that the biggest holiday on Taiwan’s calendar is just ahead. Today, these seniors are going on a New Year’s scavenger hunt. It’s a chance to get out of the house and soak in the holiday atmosphere. And for those who spend the holiday alone, this is a highlight of the festive season.
This annual shopping excursion is now in its seventh year. The Hondao Senior Citizens’ Welfare Foundation invites seniors from its activity centers to take part— and an electronics firm covers the costs and invites its employees to help out. As one regular volunteer explains, it’s much more than just a shopping trip—it’s a chance to build community.
I think the way people’s lives impact one another
the feelings we get from when we interact
makes this something you can’t describe
By just calling it “a short shopping trip.”
At the sign of go, the search begins for a list of items with strong holiday associations. There are mandarin oranges—a popular New Year fruit. There are New Year cakes of various types, and the red envelopes people fill with cash and give to one another at this time of year. Volunteers also encourage the seniors to pick out some of their favorite New Year snacks to take home with them.
There’s also a social aspect to the event. The volunteers have prepared special New Year decorations for participants to hand out to other shoppers or workers in the store and spread good wishes for the year ahead. Not everyone in this group can speak—and a few are living with dementia—but volunteers help to get the message across.
We tell them “Happy New Year! May you get rich!”
At first they’re shy but later
they get a really positive response.
I think there’s a feeling of happiness and joy.
I think this small interaction
can generate warmth between people.
For around an hour, the supermarket becomes a lively place—filled with the hunt for the best New Year treat and exchanges of warm New Year greetings. Then, it’s off to a group meal with the volunteers at a restaurant —another chance for people who may live alone and rarely get out to feel part of something.
Today’s outing is just one example of something broader happening in Taiwanese society. Last year, for the first time, one in five people in Taiwan were 65 or older—making Taiwan a so-called “super-aged” society. And the interior ministry says that more than a quarter of people in this oldest demographic are living alone.
The holidays can be a tough time—and a growing number of corporations are stepping in to help NGOs make them special. The businessperson funding today’s event—from the shopping to the group lunch, frames it as an ethical thing to do—and for him, working with this NGO has a special personal meaning.
From a Corporate Social Responsibility perspective
we want to help older people in society.
So we have some collaborative interaction.
That’s from the business perspective.
But the other side is that
we’ve had a long association with [Hondao].
My late father volunteered there
for seven or eight years.
But there’s far more to this trend of enriching senior citizens’ lives than shopping expeditions—and as someone from Hondao explains, they’re not alone in encouraging their employees to help out.
We offer five services [over New Year]:
shopping, tidying up homes, festive home visits
a communal New Year meal and
delivery of food [to those who can’t get out].
an active part in [helping deliver]
these services this time of year.
with New Year’s shopping like today
many companies go to seniors’ homes
to help with cleaning up.
But back to today’s event: has it been a success?
because there’s good food to eat.
Yes, it’s nice to interact with the volunteers.
They take good care of us.
Yes. I’m happy that they treated us to a meal. This is a big company. They also bought some things for us.
I’m really happy to get out and have some fun.
And as lunch wraps up and final gifts are exchanged, there’s the knowledge that those who need company or community this holiday season still have plenty of chances to gather. Some are inviting volunteers into their homes, and others are sharing another holiday meal cooked by some of the seniors themselves.
Taiwan’s society may be aging with many people living apart, but private initiatives are making sure people can grow older with grace and dignity—and living apart need not mean isolation, especially at Taiwan’s most cheerful time of year.
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