Provision of Customized Care Services, Expansion of Outreach Counseling and Case Management
With 36 Tailored Services, Post-Discharge Six-Month Local Residency Rate Reaches 86%
As the proportion of elderly residents in Cheongyang County, South Chungcheong Province, which has a population of less than 30,000, is expected to reach the 40% range this year, and with more than one-third of the senior population living alone, the county is taking the lead in integrated care initiatives and achieving notable results.
According to the county on June 9, the proportion of elderly residents has steadily increased from 14.0% in 1996 to 39.8% as of May 2024, marking the transition to a super-aged society. The proportion of elderly residents is projected to rise into the 40% range this year.
In response, since 2019, the county has been implementing a pilot project for community-based integrated care, providing customized care services for seniors in need. The county has also strengthened its organizational structure by establishing a dedicated home-visit healthcare team and assigning welfare and nursing staff to customized welfare teams in towns and villages, thereby expanding outreach counseling and case management services.
The 'Cheongyang Gyowol Senior Welfare Housing,' completed in June 2023, consists of 127 units and covers an area of 2,450 square meters, offering integrated services in nursing and care, health and medical support, as well as housing and welfare.
This facility is equipped with an administrative support center, a social welfare center, a home medical center, a rehabilitation exercise room, and share-type housing for discharged hospital patients and vulnerable elderly residents. In February, it was designated as a dementia-safe apartment complex and now operates dementia prevention and management programs.
Kim Donggon, the governor of Cheongyang County, is having a conversation with elderly residents. / Cheongyang County Office
In addition, through 36 customized services including nursing and care, healthcare, daily living support, and housing assistance, the county supports elderly residents in settling in the community, resulting in a post-discharge six-month local residency rate exceeding 86%. In July 2023, the county established the nation's first Integrated Care Center, a convergence care system under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
With the enactment of the "Act on the Integrated Support for Community Care Including Medical and Nursing Services" in March 2023, nationwide integrated care is scheduled to be implemented in 2026. The county is accelerating efforts to complete a rural integrated care model and to further advance its care system.
The county has also been selected for the Ministry of Health and Welfare's pilot project for "Technical Support for Integrated Medical and Care Services for the Elderly" and is currently coordinating with the National Health Insurance Service and other organizations.
In January 2024, the county received certification as an age-friendly city from the World Health Organization (WHO), declared the "Year of Creating a Happy 100 Years and an Age-Friendly City," and has been carrying out a variety of projects to improve physical, cultural, and economic environments. In March of the same year, the county received the grand prize at the "Korea Healthy Age-Friendly City Policy Awards."
The county's health screening center has established a one-stop system where residents can receive general health checkups and screenings for the five major cancers in one place, and provides specialized screenings for residents aged 65 and older.
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