Originating in Gunma Prefecture, Japan, Yukiko Igarashi attended National Taiwan University to pursue a doctorate at the Institute of Urban and Rural Affairs. She married Dr. Yu Shang-ru (余尚儒), a hospice ward employee. After spending many years in the hospice ward, Dr. Yu Shang-ru could no longer endure to witness the regret of seeing patients who were unable to pass away at home. The couple made the decision to study further in Japan and bring the home-based medical and hospice care system that Japan has long supported back to Taiwan. Their primary business, in-home medical treatment, led to the establishment of Taiwan's first "Dulan Clinic" in December 2017.
Yukiko Igarashi from Gunma Prefecture, Japan, came to Taiwan to study and gain a deeper understanding of local culture.Photo/ File Photo
Yukiko Igarashi and her husband, Dr. Yu Shang-ru (余尚儒).Photo/ File Photo
Yukiko Igarashi went to churches, communities, temples, and associations in Taitung to further promote in-home medical treatment. She also arranged charity sales, movie events, and singing gatherings to introduce the services of in-home medical treatment to the general public, building stronger connections within the community and an online community.
Yukiko Igarashi went to churches, communities, temples, and associations in Taitung to further promote in-home medical treatment.Photo/ File Photo
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Over the course of several years of medical tours, Yukiko Igarashi learned that the tribe's needs extended beyond the elderly and patients living alone to include a large number of youngsters from multigenerational families and children whose parents work long hours. Along with working with the church to offer after-school tutoring programs, Yukiko Igarashi frequently raises ingredients for the kids via the strength of community connections, fostering a sense of reciprocal aid and communal symbiosis. She even assisted the underprivileged kids in the tribe in setting up a football team this year.
Yukiko Igarashi also arranged charity sales, movie events, and singing gatherings to introduce the services of in-home medical treatment to the general public, building stronger connections within the community and an online community.Photo/ File Photo
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For over seven years, Yukiko Igarashi has accompanied her husband to Taitung with the goal of advancing hospice and home-based medical treatment. In April of 2014, the "Dulan Clinic Accompanying You Home Association" was founded with the goal of providing more individuals with complete healthcare. In addition, they established a "Mipaliw" service spot in Taitung City to offer medical consultations and other services linked to health. By connecting associations and community networks, they are able to disseminate services from patients and the elderly to underprivileged children. By linking community networks, they support the regeneration of mutual aid and symbiosis on a regional scale.
Yukiko Igarashi even assisted the underprivileged kids in the tribe in setting up a football team this year.Photo/ File Photo
The whole video is accessible in topic video "Outstanding immigrants in Taiwan - Igarashi Yukiko "; it tells the story of Yukiko Igarashi, who promotes Taiwan's pioneers in home-based medical treatment and connects community networks for mutual aid and symbiosis.