Opening of 'Gwanak Senior Happiness Center and 50 Plus Center'

Opening of 'Gwanak Senior Happiness Center and 50 Plus Center' on the 27th... The first complex center for middle-aged and seniors in the region
Strengthening senior welfare in various fields such as social participation activation, care, and health services

In July of this year, South Korea's elderly population surpassed 10 million, and according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, the proportion of people aged 65 and over accounted for 19.51% of the total population.

As the country approaches a super-aged society, the demand for welfare services to ensure a healthy life and happy old age for the elderly is steadily increasing across various fields.

Gwanak-gu (Mayor Park Junhee) has a relatively high elderly population ratio of 18% compared to other districts. Accordingly, the district is making every effort to support the stable living and happy lives of senior citizens.

On the 27th, the district took its first step toward elderly spatial welfare by opening the ‘Gwanak Senior Happiness Center & 50 Plus Center,’ a complex facility encompassing middle-aged and elderly generations, for the first time in the area.

The Gwanak Senior Happiness Center & 50 Plus Center is located at 1589-13 Bongcheon-dong (on the former site of the Gwanak-gu Community Center) and will be fully operational starting this October.

The facility spans three floors above ground (total floor area 1,959.66㎡). On the first floor, the Gwanak Branch of the Korea Senior Citizens Association Co., Ltd. is housed, operating the ‘Gwanak Senior Happiness Center’ which supports seniors’ leisure activities and senior employment. From the first to the third floors, the ‘Gwanak 50 Plus Center’ supports increased social participation for the middle-aged generation.

In particular, the ‘Gwanak 50 Plus Center’ will launch 28 regular programs in the fourth quarter starting in October, including the ‘Barista Training Course’ and the ‘Basic Furniture Making Technician Course.’ In November, it will operate eight specialized programs such as ‘Challenge! I’m Also a Short-form YouTuber’ to support practical reemployment and self-development for the middle-aged generation.

With the opening of the ‘Gwanak Senior Happiness Center & 50 Plus Center,’ the district expects to provide comprehensive welfare services that go beyond simple social activity support for middle-aged and elderly generations, addressing mental and physical aspects such as overcoming social isolation.

Additionally, the district is constructing a public senior comprehensive welfare town in Sillim-dong to build elderly welfare infrastructure by region. After signing the design service contract this year, the project is scheduled for completion in 2026.

Meanwhile, beyond spatial welfare, the district is implementing policies to promote happy old age for seniors in various fields including social participation activation, care services, and health services.

First, in the senior employment sector, the district is investing a total budget of about 18.2 billion KRW this year to operate 69 projects across four types (▲public interest activities ▲social services ▲market type ▲employment placement), providing jobs to 4,383 seniors.

Furthermore, to help seniors avoid feelings of isolation and encourage active social participation, the district increased senior center operating expenses by 20,000 KRW per month compared to last year and supports lunch five days a week at 101 senior centers within the district, revitalizing senior communities.

Moreover, to prevent social problems caused by the increasing number of elderly living alone, the district has established a tight-knit elderly care service to build a safe welfare safety net.

The district operates ‘Annyeong Salpimi,’ a welfare human resource network that checks on households at risk of solitary death, in all neighborhoods to prevent lonely deaths among elderly living alone. It also utilizes various resources such as the ‘Smart Check-in Service’ using Internet of Things (IoT) devices to innovatively enhance 24-hour welfare accessibility and eliminate welfare blind spots.

In addition, the district collaborates with various institutions to help seniors live healthily in the era of centenarians.

Gwanak-gu Public Health Center and 18 private medical institutions cooperate to provide customized health management services to seniors with chronic diseases and operate the integrated health management project ‘Senior Health Companion Project,’ which links medical welfare services.

Also, the district is sincerely committed to dementia-related welfare policies to ensure happiness for both families and dementia patients.

Gwanak-gu Health Center is the only institution nationwide that has directly operated a Dementia Safety Center for over 13 years and has been recognized externally as a model case of direct health center operation.

Additionally, the district aims to establish ‘Dementia Safe Villages’ with dementia-friendly environments in all neighborhoods and has created them in 13 neighborhoods so far.

Furthermore, the district introduced the nation’s first outdoor play-type specialized program for enjoyable dementia prevention in daily life called ‘Dementia Safety Noriter (老利攄),’ which received a presidential citation at the ‘17th Dementia Overcoming Day’ ceremony last September.

Mayor Park Junhee said, “The opening of the Gwanak Senior Happiness Center & 50 Plus Center is a representative first step of the ‘Expansion of Senior Welfare Facilities’ pledge made during the 8th local government term. We will continue to spare no support for senior welfare to ensure happy and healthy lives for middle-aged and elderly citizens.”