Seongdong-gu Promotes 'Aging in Place' (AIP) Housing Improvements for Senior Fall Prevention

Seongdong-gu Takes Action to Eliminate Fall Risks for Seniors with 750 Million KRW, the Largest Nationwide
Supporting Fall Prevention Safety Products and Home Repairs, Promoting Seongdong-style Aging in Place (AIP) Housing Improvements
Starting with Resolving Blind Spots for Up to 600 Elderly Long-term Care Insurance Non-eligible Households Annually, Expanding to Support 2,000 Households

Seongdong-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jung Won-oh) is taking steps to achieve zero fall risk for the elderly through the ‘Seongdong-type Aging in Place (Aging in Place, abbreviated AIP)’ housing improvement project (hereinafter referred to as the Seongdong-type AIP housing improvement project).

‘Aging in Place’ is a concept of spending a healthy old age in the community for as long as possible, and it is a representative guideline of age-friendly cities adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2007.

According to the 2020 Elderly Survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 8 out of 10 elderly people wish to continue living in their current homes if they maintain their health. Thus, in South Korea, which is facing super-aging, ‘Aging in Place’ can be considered a timely challenge.

However, the housing improvement projects to prevent falls among the elderly are currently limited to the ‘Pilot Project for Creating a Safe Environment in Long-term Care Home for the Elderly’ implemented in 15 regions, and even this is restricted to elderly residents who have been certified for long-term care grades and live in their own homes.

To complement the limitations of government projects, Seongdong-gu is promoting the ‘Seongdong-type AIP housing improvement project,’ which remodels homes and provides safety supplies tailored to the physical health status and living and behavioral characteristics of the elderly, regardless of long-term care grade certification or home ownership. It plans to support up to 600 households annually with a total budget of 750 million KRW, making it the largest scale nationwide. The goal is to support a total of 2,000 households in the future.

The ‘Seongdong-type AIP housing improvement project’ is carried out in cooperation with Habitat for Humanity Korea, providing ▲fall prevention safety supplies and ▲fall prevention home repairs, selecting beneficiaries based on income, age, and level of care needed for seniors aged 65 and over.

The support items and construction categories are selected in a demand-customized manner reflecting the opinions of the elderly. Fall prevention safety supplies include three essential items for fall prevention: safety handrails, anti-slip sheets, and remote controls for night lights, with additional items such as safety walkers (silver cars) included in a package worth approximately 500,000 KRW. Fall prevention home repairs cover items such as threshold removal, door replacement, and bathroom and kitchen renovations, supported within a budget of up to 5 million KRW.

Applications for the ‘Seongdong-type AIP housing improvement project’ are accepted until the 30th of this month via the Seongdong-gu Office website’s news section or through the Elderly and Disabled Welfare Division and Housing Policy Division.

At the same time, Seongdong-gu, together with the Seongdong Senior Welfare Center and the Social Cooperative Seongdong Care, will also work on identifying eligible elderly individuals who are in the blind spots of the long-term care insurance system to ensure no one is left out.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “A home is the most fundamental condition for the elderly to spend their old age safely and healthily in the community. Starting with zero fall risk, which can easily occur in daily life, we will create a Seongdong where the elderly can live healthily and happily for a long time in familiar places.”