Bucheon City Supports Housing Environment for Fall Prevention in Elderly Living Alone

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyesook] Bucheon City in Gyeonggi announced on the 16th that it will promote the 'Housing Safety Support Project' targeting single-person households aged 75 and over without income or asset selection criteria.

This is aimed at creating a safe and convenient living environment to prevent falls among elderly people living alone, focusing on installing safety bars and non-slip mats in bathrooms, as well as handrails.

In addition, various small-scale housing environment improvement services are provided, including the installation of fire detectors and gas safety shut-off devices, as well as replacement of LED lights, lighting remote controls, outlets, and faucets. The project budget includes 60 million KRW from Bucheon City's Elderly Welfare Fund (NongHyup and BC Card reserves).

The service scope is provided at less than 250,000 KRW per household, including labor and material costs, and additional services are possible if the applicant wishes, under the condition that only the material costs are borne by the applicant.

Applicants must be single-person households aged 75 or older residing in detached houses, multi-family houses, or row houses/villas, and applications will be accepted at 10 district administrative welfare centers from the 22nd to the 26th.

According to the 2019 Elderly Safety Accident Trend Analysis by the Korea Consumer Agency, the most common safety accident among seniors aged 65 and over is fractures, with most fracture accidents caused by falls (80.3%).

The places where accidents occur are 66.4% in homes, with bedrooms/rooms accounting for the largest proportion at 20.1% among homes.

Mayor Jo Yong-ik stated, "We support housing environment improvements without income or asset selection criteria so that elderly people living alone, who are vulnerable to fall accidents, can live comfortably in their own homes during their later years," and added, "Next year, we will consult with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to further expand the service targets and support criteria."