Focus on Building Customized Social Safety Nets Including Stable Income Base and Support for Social Activities
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeong Seunghyun] Mokpo City, Jeollanam-do announced on the 11th that it will promote various elderly welfare projects.
The city is carrying out multifaceted activities to meet the increasing demand for elderly welfare in line with the growing elderly population.
▲ Stable Income Base and Support for Social Activities
To support a stable old age life for seniors, the basic pension eligibility criteria have been raised by 11.2% for single households from 1.69 million KRW to 1.8 million KRW, and by 6.7% for couple households from 2.7 million KRW to 2.88 million KRW.
Along with this, the eligibility for the “basic pension up to 300,000 KRW per month” has been expanded since last year to include the bottom 70% income bracket. This year, the maximum basic pension amount is set at 307,500 KRW for single households and 492,000 KRW for couple households (up to 246,000 KRW per person).
The number of basic pension recipients in Mokpo City is about 31,060, which is 77% of the population aged 65 and over, totaling 39,063 as of the end of last year. To support this, a budget of 104.2 billion KRW, increased by 5.6 billion KRW from the previous year, will be invested.
▲ Establishment of Customized Social Safety Nets
The city provides tailored services to seniors aged 65 and over who have difficulty maintaining daily life independently. To this end, 5 billion KRW, increased by 1.1 billion KRW from last year, will be invested this year to promote regionally specialized customized senior life support and senior-tailored care service projects.
Main services include visitation and safety support, social relationship enhancement programs, life education support, and daily life assistance.
▲ Support for Healthy Social Activities
To support seniors’ active and healthy social activities, the city will continue the “Senior Job and Social Activity Support Project” this year. For this, a budget of 12.5 billion KRW, increased by 1.4 billion KRW from last year, has been secured to provide senior jobs to a total of 3,522 seniors.
The senior job and social activity support project consists of three types: public interest type, social service type, and market type. Participants are recruited based on selection criteria such as recognized income, participation experience, household composition, and activity capability.
▲ Creating a Safe and Comfortable Elderly Welfare Facility Environment
The city provides operating expenses (heating and cooling costs) and grain expenses to 197 senior centers to ensure seniors can stay comfortably. Additionally, it supports TVs, refrigerators, air conditioners, blood pressure monitors, air purifiers, etc., to improve convenience and the environment of senior centers.
Moreover, to support seniors who have experienced emotional difficulties due to the suspension of leisure activities caused by COVID-19 over the past two years, the city is promoting outdoor activity expenses and the installation of health massage chairs.
Furthermore, to reinforce the functions of elderly leisure welfare facilities, two new senior center construction projects will be carried out in the first half of this year. For senior centers requiring environmental improvements due to aging buildings, budgets under 10 million KRW will be provided to carry out wallpapering, flooring replacement, and old boiler replacement.
▲ Providing Various Welfare Services
The city has been supporting budgets for education and physical training at four welfare centers, including the Mokpo Senior Welfare Center. Despite the COVID-19 situation, about 10,000 seniors visited the welfare centers last year to spend leisure time.
Starting in March, classes such as internet and smartphone use, computer, calligraphy, calligraphy art, pungmul (traditional Korean percussion music), ukulele, folk songs, health gymnastics, yoga, and acupuncture will be offered.
The city plans to thoroughly observe quarantine rules and disinfection measures, considering the vulnerability of seniors to infectious diseases.
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