Yongsan-gu Resumes Customized Care Services for the Elderly

Resumption of Customized Elderly Care Services from the 3rd... Various Services Provided Including Safety Monitoring, Daily Life Support, and Private Sponsorship Connection for National Basic Livelihood Recipients Aged 65 and Over, Near-Poverty Class, and Basic Pension Recipients

A staff member of the Yongsan Senior Welfare Center is guiding a care service recipient on how to use YouTube.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) resumed the operation of senior-tailored care services on the 3rd and is accepting new applications.

The senior-tailored care service is a project that provides personalized services to elderly people in the community who have difficulty performing daily activities on their own.

The four major senior care projects?basic care service, comprehensive service, short-term housekeeping service, and community support linkage?that were previously in operation have been reorganized and integrated.

The district had reduced direct services to block infection risks for seniors vulnerable to COVID-19 and prevent community transmission, replacing them with indirect services such as emergency support services and non-face-to-face safety checks. Exceptional visit services were provided only to those who had user or guardian consent or who required urgent care.

To resume care services, the executing agencies designated infection control officers, conducted COVID-19 infection prevention rule education, prepared masks and hand sanitizers, and carried out daily temperature checks as part of prior preparations.

Eligible applicants are those aged 65 or older who are recipients of the National Basic Livelihood Security, lower-income groups, or basic pension recipients. Beneficiaries of similar overlapping projects such as long-term elderly care services are excluded.

Those wishing to use the service can apply in person or through a proxy by bringing identification to the local community service center of their residential district.

The district conducts beneficiary selection surveys and consultations to assess the applicant’s physical, mental, and social care needs. Then, a dedicated social worker creates a personalized care plan.

Recipients receive various services including safety monitoring via visits or phone calls, daily life support, social relationship enhancement programs, and linkage to private sponsorships.

To ensure smooth service provision, the district is divided into five zones and five executing agencies have been selected: Yongsan Senior Welfare Center, Galwol Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, Hyochang Comprehensive Social Welfare Center, Cheongpa Senior Welfare Center, and Yongsan Home Care Senior Support Center.

During the period of reduced care service operation, the district also developed and operated various programs to overcome ‘COVID-19 Blue’ (depression caused by the COVID-19 quarantine situation).

In March, the Yongsan Senior Welfare Center became the first in Seoul to produce the YouTube series ‘Hannam-dong Class’ with staff participation. It created online non-face-to-face informational lectures that seniors could follow at home, addressing physical and mental exercise shortages caused by social distancing.

So far, a total of 81 video lectures have been provided, covering English conversation, computer literacy education, cooking, health, and more. Starting this month, new lectures will be posted three times a week.

For those who have difficulty watching videos, YouTube viewing methods are also taught. Care workers visit together to guide how to watch videos on electronic devices such as smartphones or TVs.

Seong Jang-hyun, Mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “We will fully operate care services starting this month in line with the transition of the COVID-19 quarantine system. We will do our best to manage the health of seniors by discovering new beneficiaries and strengthening visit services.”