‘Beverage Delivery and Welfare Check Project’ Conducted for Over 1,000 Elderly Living Alone
[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Gwangjin-gu (District Mayor Kim Seongap) is promoting a welfare check project to ensure the safe living of low-income elderly living alone in the area.
First, the district will carry out the 'Yakult Delivery Welfare Check Project' targeting about 1,500 elderly living alone aged 60 or older in the area.
This project involves Yakult delivery workers, who are familiar with the local situation, delivering beverages to the elderly daily, checking their health and safety status, and enabling prompt response in emergency situations.
In particular, the beverage delivery welfare check project is the first of its kind nationwide, initiated by the district since its establishment in 1995, and has been carried out annually. It is significant as it allows early detection of elderly in crisis and prevention of solitary deaths.
If the elderly do not collect their beverages or show abnormal signs, the delivery worker immediately notifies the local community service center and prepares for any safety accidents through measures such as reporting to 119 emergency services.
Additionally, the district supports healthy meals through senior cafeterias for about 700 elderly with poor dietary environments, and for low-income elderly with mobility difficulties, delivers lunch boxes and side dishes while also checking on their welfare.
Along with this, during cold waves (December to January) and heat waves (July to August), the welfare check project and its target group are expanded, focusing on confirming the safety status of the elderly.
During cold and heat wave alerts, an emergency work system is maintained, and action guidelines are disseminated to elderly care institutions, care personnel, Yakult delivery workers, etc., to strengthen protection of the elderly.
Especially for elderly living alone who use the Senior Customized Care Service, care personnel conduct welfare checks regularly through visits or phone calls once or twice a week or more, and the number of Yakult delivery welfare checks and side dish deliveries are also increased.
District Mayor Kim Seongap said, “We will carefully manage the safety and health of elderly living alone through collaboration between Yakult delivery workers, elderly care institutions, and public-private sectors,” and added, “We will establish a detailed welfare system to ensure no elderly person is left in welfare blind spots.”
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