Gwanak-gu Dolbom SOS Center Plays a Vital Role in Filling Care Blind Spots 'Toktok'

[Seoul District News] Care Managers at Community Centers Provide Customized Care Services with Continuous Expansion & Gwanak-gu Welfare Counseling Center Opens, Offering One-Stop Welfare Service Linkage through Direct Consultation by Social Welfare Officers ... Jungnang-gu Offers Free Counseling Programs for Residents Experiencing Psychological Difficulties Such as Depression, Anxiety, and Trauma ... Four Mental Health Specialized Medical Institutions in Yongsan-gu Support Resident Psychological Counseling and Treatment ... Yangcheon-gu Selected as Top Grade in Nationwide Evaluation of Childcare Support Project

Counseling in progress at the Dolbom SOS center

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Jun-hee) Care SOS Center is playing a significant role in filling the gaps in care blind spots.

Recently, a low-income single-person household, Mr. B (in his 50s), was discovered through a neighbor's report in a very weak condition due to severe diabetes and epilepsy. The Care SOS Center accompanied him to the hospital and provided temporary home care services, helping him avoid a crisis situation.

The district has been operating the Care SOS Center since August 2020 to support those who urgently need care but have no family to look after them, offering temporary home care, short-term facility protection, residential convenience, accompaniment support, and meal support services.

Services can be applied for through the 'Care SOS Center Consultation Desk' within the local community service center. Eligible recipients include seniors (65 years and older), persons with disabilities (6 years and older), and middle-aged adults (50 years and older) who are at risk of care gaps. Those with an income below 100% of the median income can use the services free of charge; others pay a fee.

This year, over 1,600 residents have used 3,200 service cases so far, and efforts are underway to develop recipient-centered Care SOS services to meet increasing demand.

The 'porridge service' introduced in meal support since July has received great response from users who are weak after hospital discharge, have lost teeth, or suffer from gastrointestinal diseases. From November, a 'visiting bath vehicle service' was also added.

The visiting bath vehicle service is expected to provide practical help to those living in poor housing conditions such as basements, rooftop rooms, and goshiwon (small dormitory rooms), where home bath services were previously unavailable.

The district is also actively identifying and supporting vulnerable households. On September 30, the 'Gwanak-gu Welfare Consultation Center' was opened to unify the emergency consultation system.

The 'Gwanak-gu Welfare Consultation Center' operates from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, with social welfare officers providing direct consultations. During nights and holidays, the Seoul 120 Dasan Call Center and the district comprehensive situation room take over and contact those seeking consultation the next day to provide comprehensive guidance.

Additionally, the KakaoTalk channel 'Gwanak-gu Together Welfare Talk' offers welfare service consultations when individuals or neighbors in need are identified. The district is expanding a Gwanak-style discovery and support system, including welfare communities involving institutions and residents.

The district plans to play a pivotal role in resolving welfare blind spots by operating a one-stop system for emergency welfare support for vulnerable households, providing various welfare benefits, conducting continuous monitoring to avoid one-time support, and assisting entry into formal systems.

Mayor Park Jun-hee said, "Care is not a burden that individuals must bear alone but a social issue that society must share. If you or your neighbors need help, please actively use the Care SOS and Welfare Consultation Center," adding, "We will do our best to build a more thorough and proactive welfare safety net to realize a happier Gwanak together."

Jungnang-gu (Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) is offering free counseling programs to residents experiencing psychological difficulties such as depression, anxiety, and trauma.

The free counseling program, 'Todak Todak Mental Health Counseling Center,' aims to support psychological stability and daily recovery for residents suffering from emotional or personality issues, family conflicts, interpersonal conflicts, workplace stress, and other psychological distress.

Any Jungnang-gu resident, except those with severe mental illnesses, can receive counseling. Sessions are held on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (excluding lunch breaks), lasting 50 minutes per session, with up to 8 sessions per person. Reservations are required by phone before visiting. Telephone counseling is also available if visiting is difficult.

Residents experiencing trauma from the recent Itaewon disaster can also receive psychological counseling. The district operates three channels: Jungnang-gu Mental Health Welfare Center, Todak Todak Mental Health Counseling Center, and Mental Health Crisis Counseling Hotline. Phone numbers for each channel can be found on the Jungnang-gu Mental Health Welfare Center website.

Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi said, "I hope the psychological counseling program can be a helping hand for those experiencing mental and psychological difficulties such as stress and anxiety," adding, "We will continue to do our best to improve residents' mental health and quality of life."

The district operates the Jungnang-gu Mental Health Welfare Center and promotes various projects to enhance mental health. It actively identifies high-risk groups such as those at risk of suicide and provides systematic management services. The district also offers life-cycle mental health services tailored to youth, women, middle-aged, and elderly residents, linking psychiatric consultations when medical diagnosis is needed. Mental health lectures are also held to provide accurate information to residents.

Yongsan-gu (Mayor Park Hee-young) has prepared to provide counseling to any residents experiencing psychological difficulties due to the Itaewon disaster.

Participating medical institutions in the area include four psychiatric clinics: Nomanhee (21-gil, Hangang-daero 17), Oneul (69, Hangang-daero), Jeongdam (259, Hangang-daero), and Jihaesam (297, Hangang-daero).

Seoul residents can receive counseling up to three sessions (maximum support of 80,000 KRW) through prior reservation, regardless of psychiatric treatment history.

Additionally, from the 8th to the 25th, the district operates 'Mind Rest Cafe' (43, Noksapyeong-daero 32-gil), creating a psychologically calming atmosphere through herb and aroma therapy and offering consultations with psychological counseling experts.

'Mind Rest Cafe' can be used via Naver advance reservation. Eligible applicants include Itaewon merchants who experienced trauma, accident response personnel such as police, firefighters, military, reporters, public officials, and general residents.

For youth psychological stability, special psychological counseling is provided through the Yongsan-gu Youth Counseling Welfare Center.

Children, who are promotional models for Yangcheon-gu, are reading books at the Yongwangsan small resting area.

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Lee Ki-jae) announced that it was selected as the top grade 'A' in the 'Nationwide Operation Evaluation of Childcare Support Projects' conducted by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family among 226 nationwide childcare service providers.

The Childcare Support Project is a program where professionally trained caregivers visit homes to provide care services to children under 12 years old who experience care gaps due to dual-income families, aiming to ensure children's safety and childcare issues and to create a child-rearing friendly social environment that supports work-family balance for guardians.

This evaluation measured comprehensive performance in four areas: service outcomes (satisfaction), service provision (usage performance, safety management), caregiver recruitment and participation (training, etc.), and service infrastructure. Yangcheon-gu received high scores in user satisfaction and service provision performance.

Especially, Yangcheon-gu, with a higher proportion of infants and young children compared to other districts, was highly evaluated for proactively responding to the increasing care demand by increasing 30 caregivers at the Yangcheon-gu Family Center (hereafter 'Center') and promptly connecting services to families wishing to use them, greatly improving service satisfaction.

Currently, the Center has 5 dedicated staff and 169 caregivers, providing over 80,000 childcare service cases annually.

Mayor Lee Ki-jae said, "We will continue to improve the quality of childcare services and establish a solid childcare support system without blind spots so that residents can raise their children with peace of mind in a child-rearing friendly environment."