Bucheon-si, Housing Safety Support Project for Single-Person Households Aged 75 and Over... Fall Accident Prevention

Bucheon City in Gyeonggi Province is implementing the 'Housing Safety Support Project for Elderly Living Alone' to create a safe and convenient residential environment, preventing falls among seniors.

Facing a super-aged society where 20% of the total population will be aged 65 or older by 2026, the city has been promoting this project since 2021, targeting single-person households aged 75 and above nationwide for the first time without income or asset selection criteria.

According to the Emergency Room Injury Patient In-depth Survey (2022) conducted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, those aged 75 and older accounted for the largest proportion of fall patients at 23.0%, and among them, 63.5% experienced safety accidents inside their homes, where they stay the longest and should be safest.

In particular, many slip and fall accidents occurred inside the home in the bathroom, bedroom, and living room. To prevent such fall accidents, the city plans to focus on installing bathroom safety bars, anti-slip mats, and handrails in the homes of elderly single-person households.

Bucheon City Hall

In addition, the city provides various small-scale residential environment improvement services, including installing fire detectors and gas safety shut-off devices, as well as LED lights, lighting remote controls, and replacement of outlets and faucets.

The related budget is covered by Bucheon City's Senior Welfare Fund amounting to 72.5 million KRW. The service is provided at a cost of up to 250,000 KRW per household, including labor and material costs, and if applicants wish, they can receive additional services by bearing only the material costs themselves.

This project has received great response by providing home repair services to 325 households in 2021, 342 households in 2022, and 402 households in 2023. The application period for the first half of this year is from the 15th to the 19th, and applications can be submitted at the administrative welfare centers of the seven districts.