Gangnam-gu, First Autonomous District to Establish Support System for Middle-Aged Adults Caring for Family

Systematic Support for the Psychological and Emotional Well-being of Middle-aged Adults Facing the Dual Burden of Caring for Children and Elderly Parents to Strengthen Family Function... Dedicated Facility Opened on the 1st Floor of Taehwa Christian Comprehensive Social Welfare Center... Discovering Care Families, Individual and Group Counseling, Enhancing Network Activities

Gangnam-gu (District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong) has become the first autonomous district in Seoul to establish a psychological and emotional support system for middle-aged and older adults exhausted from family caregiving.

Caring for family members with disabilities, illnesses, or dementia goes beyond the responsibility and burden of the caregiver, sometimes leading to family breakdown. To alleviate the difficulties faced by caregiving families, the government announced in December last year that it would gradually expand national-level care services. Seoul City is responding to new welfare demands by enacting ordinances and establishing dedicated organizations for family caregivers aged 14 to 34.

In this context, where the role of local communities in family caregiving is essential, the district has focused on middle-aged and older adults who fall into a new care blind spot. This group suffers from the dual burden of caring for both children and elderly parents, yet there are no dedicated institutions addressing their psychological and emotional issues. Proactively responding to new welfare needs, Gangnam-gu, which is implementing a comprehensive social welfare center re-design project, has opened the family caregiver lounge ‘Bomteo’ on the first floor of Taehwa Christian Social Welfare Center and is launching full-scale support programs for them.

‘Bomteo,’ located on the first floor of the welfare center, was remodeled from a daycare center space that closed in March last year and opened on April 30. Covering approximately 130㎡ (40 pyeong), it consists of ▲private counseling room (Deureobom) ▲group program room (Barabom) ▲play area for cared-for children (Jarabom) ▲mini caf? (Seorobom). The district plans to work with the welfare center to identify care blind spots and focus on relieving caregiving stress and strengthening family functions. Systematic programs such as self-help groups, individual counseling, and customized consulting will be implemented to provide physical, psychological, and social support and recovery for caregiving families.

In addition to the family function enhancement project at Taehwa Christian Social Welfare Center, the district is sequentially implementing specialized projects at six comprehensive social welfare centers in the area.

Daechung Comprehensive Social Welfare Center (Ilwon-dong) and Neungin Comprehensive Social Welfare Center (Gaepo-dong) operate community-based hub centers in Nonhyeon 2-dong and Yeoksam 1-dong, respectively. Suseo Myeonghwa Welfare Center and Suseo Comprehensive Welfare Center have deployed mental health specialists to support the daily recovery and independence of residents with mental illnesses. Gangnam Comprehensive Social Welfare Center is establishing a model for an elderly comprehensive support center.

Jo Seong-myeong, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, stated, “We are developing into a Gangnam-style comprehensive social welfare center that responds to new welfare demands across the entire district, beyond providing welfare services in permanent rental apartment areas. We will support those who have cared for their families and have had difficulties they could hardly share anywhere else to recover by interacting with others in the newly established dedicated facility.”