Care Manager and Visiting Nurse Rush to Scene After Faint Voice Saying ‘Juice’ Heard During Repeated Calls to Confirm National Support Fund Account... Found a Frail 50s Single Man Sitting Helplessly at Door... Urgently Transported to Hospital, Additional Illness Discovered and Under Treatment... Sinjeong 3-dong Care SOS Center Continues Monitoring for Family Reconnection, Housing Improvement, and Benefit Applications
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] "Ju....su....please...."
A public official who rushed to the scene upon hearing a faint single word through the receiver saved the life of a man in his 50s living alone, who was on the brink of life and death due to illness and starvation.
On the morning of the 17th, a welfare officer at the Sinjeong 3-dong Community Service Center in Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) called a beneficiary to verify the account for the vulnerable group's national support fund payment.
However, only ringing was heard and the call was not answered. Suspecting something was wrong, the official kept trying to call and finally connected once, but all that was heard was the fading voice saying "juice."
Realizing it was an emergency, the Sinjeong 3-dong Community Service Center care manager and visiting nurse immediately rushed to the scene and found Mr. A, a man in his 50s living alone, sitting at the entrance with only a slightly open door, in the sweltering heat without air conditioning, his body emaciated to the bone.
After providing emergency treatment and assessing the situation on site, it was found that Mr. A was suffering from severe diabetes and alcoholism, had no strength to prepare meals, had not eaten for over 10 days, and was experiencing symptoms of hypotension and malnutrition, unable to speak or lift his head.
Moreover, due to alcoholism, his relationship with his family had deteriorated long ago, and he was not a welfare recipient, leaving him in a welfare blind spot with no one to ask for help.
In a life-threatening situation, what Mr. A desperately wanted was "juice," and the person who did not miss that desperate plea beyond the receiver was not his family or anyone else, but the welfare official at the community center.
The Sinjeong 3-dong Care SOS Center quickly collaborated with 119 emergency services and accompanied Mr. A to the emergency room at Boramae Hospital, personally handling the admission process for Mr. A, who had no guardian. During additional examinations, a new illness unknown even to Mr. A was discovered, and he is currently receiving inpatient treatment.
Furthermore, after urgent inquiries, the Care SOS Center located Mr. A’s family, with whom he had no contact for many years. The head of Sinjeong 3-dong personally intervened and, after earnest persuasion, the family agreed to participate in efforts to restore their relationship with Mr. A after his discharge under the district’s supervision.
With the consent of the guardian family, they also plan to apply for welfare benefits so that Mr. A, who had been in a welfare blind spot, can enter the formal welfare system.
Additionally, in cooperation with the Care SOS housing convenience service providers, public officials and volunteers will clean Mr. A’s home, which was filled with filth and garbage, to improve his living environment.
Mayor Kim Soo-young said, "This case of Mr. A is a valuable result achieved through the 'Yangcheon-type Care SOS Center' project that the district has been promoting," and added, "We will continue to work hard to create a 'Yangcheon without lonely deaths' through a solid and tailored welfare policy and a dense welfare safety net."
The scene inside the home of Mr. A, a man in his 50s living alone in Sinjeong 3-dong, who was recently rescued
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