Nowon-gu Caregiver's Good Suspicion Saves Elderly Life

Contacted family after unusual behavior and accompanied to hospital... Blood sugar over 300 upon ER arrival... 'Elderly Customized Care Service'... Safety check, life education, housekeeping support, and community service linkage

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) recently revealed a heartwarming story where an elderly person using the customized elderly care service was able to overcome a moment of crisis thanks to the kind suspicion of a life support worker.

The elderly person, Mr. A, is in his 70s and lives alone with his family residing in a different province. On the 8th, when his daughter could not reach her father, she contacted life support worker Ms. B, who then went to Mr. A’s home to assess the situation.

At that time, the front door’s battery was dead, making it impossible to enter. Ms. B confirmed through his voice that Mr. A was inside the house, but feeling suspicious, she decided to verify in person and purchased a new battery to visit again.

Ms. B became suspicious when she saw Mr. A, who is usually neat, walking around the room with shoes on and giving slightly inconsistent answers. She immediately called the family to inform them of the situation, and the family asked her to accompany Mr. A to the hospital.

At the emergency room where they arrived by ambulance, Mr. A’s blood sugar level was over 300, and a detailed examination was promptly conducted. When the family arrived from the province, Ms. B finally felt relieved and returned home.

When Ms. B visited Mr. A two days later, he said he had no memory of the afternoon of the incident and expressed his gratitude, saying that thanks to her, he was able to arrive at the hospital in time and be discharged without major issues.

Ms. B recalled, “If I hadn’t checked inside the house, or if I had seen the elderly person inside but just ignored it, I shudder to think what might have happened.”

The district plans to actively disseminate and share such exemplary cases during training and capacity-building for social welfare workers.

Meanwhile, the district is promoting the ‘Customized Elderly Care Service’ that provides demand-tailored services to elderly people in need of care. Targeting basic livelihood security recipients, near-poverty groups, and basic pension recipients aged 65 and over, the service is linked with local self-support centers and welfare centers, where life support workers provide safety checks, life education, and household support for the elderly.

As of December 2021, the total number of beneficiaries was 3,951.

Oh Seung-rok, Mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “A moment of kind suspicion saved the elderly person from a moment of crisis,” and added, “I am always grateful to the welfare workers who do their best on the ground despite many difficulties.”