From Household Caregiving to Hospital Accompaniment and Transportation Support... Actively Responding to Care Demand... Approximately 2,400 Services Provided in 5 Months Since Implementation, Expanding to Middle-Aged Households from July
A senior living alone in Seongsan 1-dong who received meal support services through the 'Dolbom SOS Center' expressed their gratitude.
[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] "Thank you so much for sending such a very delicious porridge. (Omitted)... Do you know how wonderful and beautiful the work you are doing is? I still believe the world is a livable place. Isn’t it a more beautiful world because there are people with beautiful hearts?"
This is part of a handwritten letter sent by Lee Youngsoon (pseudonym), a senior living alone in Seongsan 1-dong, Mapo-gu, who received nutritious porridge through the ‘Care SOS Center’ and regained her strength.
The letter expresses gratitude to the district and the meal support service provider. Along with lollipops and persimmons, a carefully written note of thanks was also delivered.
Mapo-gu (Mayor Yoo Donggyun) has been promoting the project since July last year after being selected in February for the Seoul City ‘Care SOS Center’ pilot project contest, providing over 2,400 services in just five months.
The ‘Care SOS Center’ is a one-stop integrated care service window that offers customized services to any resident in need of care, from urgent household and nursing services due to sudden illness or accidents to everyday assistance such as hospital accompaniment.
The ‘Care SOS Center,’ established within the Welfare Team 2 of each Mapo-gu community service center, is staffed with care managers who visit residents in need upon service application, assess their needs, develop care plans tailored to each individual’s situation, and provide customized care services.
To ensure smooth service delivery, the district has signed agreements with 33 organizations across various fields and regularly holds communication meetings to facilitate the early stabilization of the pilot project.
In particular, to provide daily convenience services, Mapo-gu formed a joint production group with social economy organizations and the ‘Our Neighborhood Sharing Leader’ project team, presenting a public-private cooperative operation model.
This year, the ‘Care SOS Center’ is getting closer to residents. Previously unsupported low-income households with median income below 85% can now receive service cost support, enabling a wider range of households to use care services without financial burden.
Moreover, starting this July, the support target will expand from seniors and people with disabilities to include middle-aged households (ages 50 to 64).
The district plans to actively promote these care services so that no resident misses out due to lack of information, and will regularly hold training and communication meetings to strengthen the capabilities of care managers and service providers.
Yoo Donggyun, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “With the rapid increase of single-person households, aging population, and changes in family structure, care has become a social issue that the public sector must solve. We will continue to strengthen care welfare so that residents can live healthily in the community for a long time.”
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