Choi Hogwon, Yeongdeungpo District Mayor, Introduces Nation's First 'Caregiver Family Rest System'... Ryu Kyunggi, Jungnang District Mayor, Hosts '1st Excellent Long-term Care Worker Commendation Ceremony' to Express Gratitude for Long-term Care Workers' Efforts
Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, and Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang District, both graduated from Seoul National University, passed the civil service examination, served in senior positions in the Seoul Metropolitan Government and central government ministries, and later became elected district mayors, sharing a common career path.
Mayor Ryu served as the spokesperson for Seoul City and as the first deputy mayor for administration, while Mayor Choi served as an administrative officer at the Blue House and as Consul General in India.
Mayor Ryu is senior to Mayor Choi in terms of passing the civil service exam and working in Seoul city government.
Notably, these two district mayors are highly regarded not only for their competence but also for their character, earning love and respect from their staff and residents.
These two mayors have received positive evaluations for actively encouraging and awarding caregivers volunteering for families suffering from dementia and other conditions, showing supportive actions.
Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, Introduces ‘Caregiver Family Rest System’ for Elderly Households... First Local Government in the Nation to Implement Caregiver Family Rest System... “Care at Home... Hope for Nationwide Expansion to Benefit All Elderly Households”
On July 10, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that the population registered as residents aged 65 and over has surpassed 10 million. Among the total registered population, those aged 65 and above number 10,000,062, accounting for 19.51%.
With population aging, the number of dementia patients is also rapidly increasing. The Ministry of Health and Welfare reported that the number of dementia patients exceeded 1 million this year, and the Central Dementia Center predicts that by 2050, over 3 million people will suffer from dementia. This means a new dementia patient emerges approximately every 7 to 8 minutes. Additionally, 6 out of 10 citizens either provide direct care or hire caregivers, making South Korea, on the brink of a super-aged society, known as a “care hell.”
Yeongdeungpo District (Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) has been operating the ‘Caregiver Family Rest System’ since last year, the first among local governments nationwide. This system connects volunteer caregivers to elderly households suffering from dementia and other geriatric diseases, guaranteeing rest for families burdened with sole caregiving and nursing responsibilities.
Mayor Choi explained, “Dementia patients typically survive for over 10 years. The pain of dedicated caregivers who endure day and night without weekends during this long illness period is beyond imagination. As a result, it is common to admit patients to nursing homes or hospitals, but the cost burden is high, and more importantly, elderly people prefer the familiar and comfortable home environment over unfamiliar and inconvenient nursing homes or hospitals.”
The ‘Caregiver Family Rest System’ took its first step early last year by recruiting volunteers. Over 720 volunteers applied, more than half of whom hold caregiver certification. After all volunteers completed care service training, professional and systematic two-person team volunteer activities began in early May last year.
The main activities include: first, using dementia prevention cognitive activity tools to help improve cognitive abilities to slow dementia progression; second, assisting with regular strength and rehabilitation exercises to enable outings such as park walks. Additionally, volunteers provide companionship, meal support, and accompaniment to nearby community centers, delivering a total of over 620 services to date. Care volunteers’ dedicated efforts have resulted in higher satisfaction levels among elderly patients and their families than other programs.
The district conducted a satisfaction survey over two months from October to November last year, targeting 66 elderly patients and caregivers and 251 volunteers. Among recipients, 92.4% responded “satisfied,” and among volunteers, 72.5% responded the same. Elderly patients and caregivers reported increased vitality in life (87.9%), time for family rest (81.8%), reduced caregiving burden (78.9%), and improved daily living abilities (75.0%) after using the service.
One elderly resident in her 80s living in Daerim 3-dong suffers from Parkinson’s disease and early-stage dementia. Her spouse lost over 10 kg in six months due to round-the-clock care. The Daerim 3-dong volunteer team provided care services such as walking, hospital accompaniment, and meal support for two hours every two weeks, allowing the spouse to rest during that time.
In November last year, a performance report meeting for the Caregiver Family Rest System was held with about 300 participants, including care volunteers and related organizations. At the event, Mayor Choi said, “I am nicknamed the ‘Caregiver Mayor.’ Among the 25 district mayors of Seoul, I am the only one with a caregiver certification. This system was established to provide ‘happiness to the elderly and rest to families.’ Thanks to everyone, it was possible to implement it as the first local government in the nation.” He also bowed deeply to the attendees on stage, expressing gratitude to the volunteers who willingly participated in the system.
The Caregiver Family Rest System project was recognized for its achievements and won the ‘Excellence Award’ at the ‘2024 Excellent Administrative and Policy Case Selection Competition’ on July 12. It received high praise for addressing social issues related to aging together with residents and creating a Yeongdeungpo-style participatory care environment.
Mayor Choi stated, “The caregiving burden, which has become a serious social problem, cannot be placed solely on individuals. It must be institutionalized at the national or social level. Yeongdeungpo District was the first to try a proactive approach called ‘care at home.’ Based on the results and experience, we plan to propose expanding the project to Seoul City and the Ministry of Health and Welfare by strengthening volunteer recruitment and diversifying programs.”
He added, “Through regional pilot implementation of the policy, I hope the ‘Caregiver Family Rest System’ will expand nationwide and become an integral part of Korea’s care system. It is ‘true local autonomy’ when elderly people and their families across the country benefit because of Yeongdeungpo District.”
Finally, Mayor Choi Ho-kwon said, “Caregivers are like angels who care for life by moving their whole bodies. I obtained my caregiver certification because I wanted to live a life of service as a caregiver after retirement.” He urged, “Voluntary resident participation is most important for the stable establishment of this system. I ask for continued interest and active participation from many residents.”
Ryu Kyung-gi, Mayor of Jungnang District, Held the ‘1st Excellent Long-term Care Worker Commendation Ceremony’ on the 23rd, Expressing Gratitude for Long-term Care Workers’ Dedication
Jungnang District (Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi) held the ‘1st Excellent Long-term Care Worker Commendation Ceremony’ on the 23rd to express gratitude for the dedication of long-term care workers.
The event began with a pre-performance by Jungnang artists ‘Dal and Byeol’ and recognized the devoted efforts and professionalism of 20 long-term care workers, specially awarding their contributions.
The commendation ceremony was attended by about 70 people, including Mayor Ryu Kyung-gi, Jeong Chan-mi, President of the National Caregiver Association, Choi Hyun-hye, Head of the Jungnang Branch of the National Caregiver Association, Kim Ji-yeon, Director of the Seoul Northeast Elderly Care Worker Support Center, and Bang Se-ung, Director of the Jungnang Labor Comprehensive Support Center.
Mayor Ryu said, “In our society entering an aged society, the role and importance of long-term care workers are increasing. We will work hard to improve the treatment of about 3,700 long-term care workers working in Jungnang District in cooperation with private institutions.”
The district is making efforts to improve awareness of long-term care workers by conducting ‘On-site Inspection Capacity Building Training for Long-term Care Institutions.’ It also plans to provide face-to-face ‘Elderly Human Rights Education’ and healing programs for emotional improvement for long-term care workers who have difficulty taking online courses.
As South Korea enters an aging society with a growing number of dementia patients, the efforts of these two district mayors, who lead the way in sharing the pain of patients with society rather than leaving it to families, are expected to shine even brighter.
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