Accompanying Administration Showing Special Care for Dementia Seniors, Visually Impaired, and Slow Learners, Earning Applause from Residents
Choi Ho-kwon, the Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, is a quiet-natured but warm-hearted administrator-turned-politician.
After graduating from Seoul National University and passing the civil service exam, he held key positions such as Director of Culture and Public Relations at Yeongdeungpo District Office, Policy Secretary to Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak, Administrative Officer at the Office of the Secretary for Administrative Autonomy at the Blue House, Consul General in India, and Director of Exhibition Research at the National Gwacheon Science Museum. Despite these prestigious roles, he never overlooks the elderly, disabled, and other vulnerable neighbors in need.
Before taking office as the 8th elected Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, Mayor Choi obtained a caregiver qualification. This was with the intention of personally supporting the elderly after his public service career, making him the only one among the 25 district mayors in Seoul to hold such a qualification.
Mayor Choi is implementing various policies for the elderly and disabled as part of the 8th elected term’s ‘Yeongdeungpo-style Policy of Walking Together with the Vulnerable.’
Key projects include ▲visiting all 170 senior centers to reflect the vivid opinions of the elderly in the ‘Senior Center Support System Improvement Project’ ▲introducing the nation’s first ‘Caregiver Family Rest System’ to provide respite for families caring for dementia patients burdened with sole caregiving and nursing ▲operating Neulpureum School, where elementary and middle school graduation is recognized, and establishing a high school equivalency test class ▲opening the ‘Thinking Factory Library,’ a science-specialized library, along with facilities for disabled family support centers and lifelong education centers for people with developmental disabilities, creating the ‘Eoullim Center’ where disabled and non-disabled people can use together ▲being selected for two consecutive years as a ‘Lifelong Learning City for the Disabled’ by the Ministry of Education ▲and opening ‘Haebaragi,’ a dedicated space for the visually impaired.
Mayor Choi Ho-kwon stated, “Social interest and support are urgently needed for vulnerable groups left in blind spots. We will take the lead in ‘Yeongdeungpo-style Walking Together with the Vulnerable’ through meticulous support such as customized education and facility operation.”
Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District (left), walking with an elderly person in the moss garden created at Dangsan Park in front of the district office
Yeongdeungpo District Opens New Horizons for Elderly Care with ‘Gagahoho Memory Friends’
Elderly Job Participants Visit Homes of Dementia Patients to Assist with Cognitive Training and Physical Activities
Providing Companionship, Accompanying Outings, Linking Welfare Services, Supporting Daily Necessities... Preventing Social Isolation and Depression through Relationship Building
Yeongdeungpo District (Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) has created elderly jobs and established a mutual care system through ‘Gagahoho Memory Friends,’ where healthy and active elderly people care for dementia patients.
‘Gagahoho Memory Friends,’ meaning ‘a friend visits every household,’ is a project where elderly job participants visit the homes of dementia patients once a week to assist with cognitive training and physical activities aimed at dementia prevention.
Participating elderly individuals engage in various cognitive activities with dementia patients at home, such as number calculations, word associations, coloring, board games, and workbook study, to prevent dementia deterioration. They also help improve physical function and memory through fine motor exercises, hand massagers, band exercises, and stretching.
Moreover, they become friends and companions for elderly people who have difficulty moving and spend much time indoors. Additionally, through various healing programs such as making leather cellphone crossbody bags, nail art, and horticultural therapy, they alleviate feelings of isolation and depression among the elderly. For those needing financial assistance, they connect them to various welfare services and provide daily necessities. They also accompany elderly individuals who find it difficult to visit hospitals or public institutions alone, minimizing care gaps.
“Turn off the bathroom light”… Yeongdeungpo District Supports Smart Voice Recognition Switches for Severely Disabled
Providing Smart Devices to About 100 Severely Disabled Households in the Area to Prevent Safety Accidents Such as Falls
Yeongdeungpo District (Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) supports safe and convenient daily activities for disabled people facing difficulties by providing ‘Smart Voice Recognition Switches’ to severely disabled individuals.
This project is promoted after Yeongdeungpo District was finally selected in the ‘Smart Voice Recognition Switch’ contest conducted by Seoul City.
A recent three-year comprehensive survey of disabled people confirmed that many severely disabled individuals stay at home during the day regardless of disability type. Accordingly, the district actively participated in this contest to create an environment where severely disabled people can move freely at home?the center of their activity space?without safety accidents such as falls.
The smart voice recognition switch is a device that allows users to control lighting power freely with simple voice commands without assistance from others. This device can be used without connection to speakers, smartphones, or the internet, reducing users’ burdens related to communication fees and network failures. It also has the advantage of being usable by digitally marginalized groups such as the elderly and disabled.
Before selecting recipients, the district identified the number of registered severely disabled people in 18 neighborhoods. Then, welfare planners from each neighborhood community center visited homes and prioritized households with severely disabled elderly individuals, selecting a total of 107 households. The district plans to complete the installation of smart voice recognition switches by October.
Additionally, the district supports installing up to two smart voice recognition switches per household to enable living in a safer environment.
Ensuring No One Is Left Behind... Yeongdeungpo District Begins Happy Journey with Slow Learners
Enacted ‘Seoul Special City Yeongdeungpo District Slow Learner Support Ordinance’ in July Last Year
Accelerating Discovery of Slow Learners in Blind Spots... Providing Opportunities for Independent Social Integration
Yeongdeungpo District (Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) is making every effort to discover slow learners left in blind spots and support their social adaptation.
‘Slow learners’ refer to individuals with borderline intelligence below the average IQ based on intelligence tests, who face difficulties in academics, work, interpersonal relationships, and daily life, requiring appropriate support.
Accordingly, the district conducts various projects to discover slow learners in blind spots and establish a customized support system, including educational support.
First, in July 2023, the district enacted the ‘Seoul Special City Yeongdeungpo District Slow Learner Support Ordinance’ to raise awareness of the concept of slow learners in the community and accurately grasp their status. Through this, the district plans to actively discover target individuals by building networks with schools and the community and increase social interest and understanding of slow learners.
Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu (far left), taking a commemorative photo with district residents and their families at the Mullae-dong Flower Garden, which opened last May.
To accelerate the discovery of slow learners, the district collaborates with the Seoul Borderline Intelligence Lifelong Education Support Center to provide a ‘Borderline Intelligence Screening Test Program.’ Anyone wishing to take the test can do so free of charge, and those suspected based on the screening results can receive a second additional test, including intelligence testing, free of charge through the ‘Yeongdeungpo District Youth Counseling Welfare Center.’
In the second half of this year, the district plans to support ‘educational programs’ to improve social skills and literacy of slow learners. It also plans to operate ‘art therapy counseling’ for psychological and emotional stability and ‘group counseling and practical programs’ to foster social skills by sharing hobbies with peer groups.
In addition, the district carries out various companion administrations that lend a helping hand to neighbors in need.
An official from Yeongdeungpo District Office said, “Mayor Choi Ho-kwon is truly a warm-hearted mayor not only to vulnerable neighbors but also to public officials.”
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