[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Han-hyuk] Naju City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Kang In-gyu) announced on the 3rd that it will install ‘safety handrails’ to prevent safety accidents such as slipping and falling inside senior citizen centers, which serve as resting places for the elderly.
The city plans to invest 90 million KRW by mid-next month to carry out a project to install safety handrails in the bathrooms and entrance door walls of all 610 senior citizen centers in the jurisdiction, the first of its kind in the province.
The installation of safety handrails is part of an age-friendly city policy project, prepared to prevent falls (slipping), which is the second most common cause of accidental death among the elderly after traffic accidents.
In particular, since slipping due to wet floors in senior citizen center bathrooms can lead to serious injuries such as brain damage, hip fractures, and lumbar fractures, the importance of safety and convenience facilities within these centers is increasing day by day.
Earlier, on March 19, the city signed a business agreement with ‘Happy Aging Co., Ltd.’, a social enterprise producing safety handrail products, and finalized the quantity and locations through a full survey of senior citizen centers for handrail installation earlier this month.
The safety handrails are made with a silicone surface, which prevents slipping even when held with wet hands and is not cold in winter compared to existing aluminum materials.
Phosphorescent stickers are attached to both ends of the handrails so they can function properly even in dark environments.
Depending on the location such as senior citizen center bathrooms and entrance door walls, the handrails come in small, large, and L-shaped types.
The city plans to install and complete a total of 1,900 safety handrails (3 to 4 per location) in 610 senior citizen centers in the jurisdiction from mid-this month to the end of next month.
Mayor Kang In-gyu said, “Most village senior citizen center facilities are over 20 years old and the architectural design standards are based on general adults, so improving facilities for the safety and convenience of the elderly is very important. We will do our best to promote the creation of an age-friendly city and discover policies such as this safety handrail installation so that local elderly residents can live safely and comfortably in their later years.”
Meanwhile, the population of elderly people aged 65 and over in Naju City is 25,548, accounting for 22% of the total population.
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