Focusing on Early Detection of Those at Risk of Solitary Death
Yongsan-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Park Hee-young) is promoting the ‘2025 Solitary Death Prevention and Management Project.’ As the number of single-person households increases and the aging phenomenon intensifies, social isolation among vulnerable groups is deepening due to various social environmental changes. This project aims to quickly identify those at risk of solitary death and provide services to protect them from the risk of solitary death.
Yongsan-gu is promoting a project to prevent and manage solitary deaths in response to social isolation and the issue of solitary deaths. Provided by Yongsan-gu.
The solitary death prevention and management project implemented by the district consists of four types: welfare check-ins, life improvement support, social network formation programs, and post-management.
The welfare check-in targets socially isolated single-person households at risk of solitary death, implementing the ‘Welfare Caregiver Project’ that utilizes welfare check-in systems such as Our Neighborhood Care Team, AI welfare check-ins, and smart plugs.
Our Neighborhood Care Team checks in three times a week through visits or phone calls. The AI welfare check-in makes an automatic call once a week to determine call reception, any inconveniences, and reasons for missed calls, then proceeds with follow-up actions. The smart plug installs Internet of Things technology in the target household to detect abnormalities in advance by monitoring changes in power consumption and illumination.
As part of the life improvement support project, the ‘Dudream Project,’ a health drink delivery service for young and middle-aged single-person households, is conducted. The Dudream Project expands welfare check-in services, previously focused on the elderly, to young and middle-aged single-person households.
A yogurt delivery worker visits socially isolated young and middle-aged single-person households three times a week to deliver health drinks for welfare check-ins. If drinks accumulate or abnormal signs are detected during delivery, immediate reports are made to the district office or community service center to establish a dense welfare safety net.
The social network formation program operates ‘Escape Room Supporters’ to help socially isolated households practice interacting with others and encourage them to go out. Our Neighborhood Care Team, the local community security council, and others act as Escape Room Supporters together with the community welfare planners (welfare officials).
Various programs reflecting the characteristics of each community are operated to help alleviate loneliness and isolation of socially isolated households. Sixteen communities have prepared diverse programs such as making companion plant pots, gardening, cooking side dishes for single-person households eating alone, love field hair salons, welfare meetings, movie watching, and walking trails.
Post-management supports up to 1 million KRW for costs related to organizing belongings or special cleaning for households where solitary deaths have occurred, ensuring the deceased’s life is properly concluded.
District Mayor Park Hee-young stated, “Due to various social environmental changes, the number of solitary death risk households, such as elderly living alone and young and middle-aged single-person households with weak social ties, is increasing day by day,” adding, “Going forward, Yongsan-gu will not overlook socially isolated households and marginalized neighbors, and through discovering welfare blind spots, we will create a ‘Yongsan Together’ community.”
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