Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Kim Ikang) announced on the 31st that it is systematically operating the ‘3-stage Care Meetings’ to provide customized services to citizens in need of care.
The 3-stage Care Meetings refer to the 1st stage Dong Care Meeting, 2nd stage Regional Meetings (Our Neighborhood Care Meeting, Multidisciplinary Care Meeting), and 3rd stage Community Care Meeting.
In particular, the 2nd stage Our Neighborhood Care Meeting is held once a week by region, where Dong case managers and social workers from elderly customized care service agencies gather to identify the needs of the subjects and establish care plans, thereby strengthening case management capabilities.
The Multidisciplinary Care Meeting involves 15 welfare experts including social workers, nurses, nutritionists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and social workers from the Seo-gu Home Medical Care Center, who discuss the needs of the subjects in depth every day to determine service recipients.
At the 3rd stage Community Care Meeting, a pool of 143 public and private professionals in health, welfare, and medical fields come together at least once a month to address issues related to high-difficulty subjects in the community care blind spots discovered through visiting mandatory visits.
Recently in Seo-gu, more than 20 representatives from public and private institutions, including the director of Seo-gu Home Medical Care Center, the team leader of Seo-gu Dementia Safety Center, and the head of the Elderly Protection Agency, discussed two cases involving a solitary elderly person in Geumho-dong who is severely wandering due to advanced dementia and is at risk in the community due to caregiver neglect. The discussions included wandering management and improving caregivers’ awareness of dementia, among various protection measures.
Kim Ikang, Mayor of Seo-gu, stated, “This year, Seo-gu plans to support 33 types of integrated care services for all citizens in need of care, including intensive case management for 1,000 subjects such as home care recipients aged 75 and older with long-term care grades, temporary medical and care demand groups, and patients discharged from acute care nursing hospitals.”
He added, “We will play a leading role as a catalyst for integrated care unique to Gwangju, ensuring that all citizens can enjoy a healthy life within the community, and create a leading model of integrated care in South Korea.”
Meanwhile, Seo-gu has been recognized as an excellent leading area for community integrated care over the past four years, becoming a model for other local governments.
Starting in July, Seo-gu plans to promote the pilot project for integrated support of elderly medical care and care, implemented as the 2nd stage of integrated care advancement by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, until 2025.
Shin Dongho, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy baekok@asiae.co.kr
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