Ulju County Abolishes Income Criteria for Dementia Patient Care Supply Support

First Among Local Governments...
Support Extended to All Home-Based Patients with Long-Term Care Grades 1 to 3

On January 14, Ulju County in Ulsan announced that, starting this year, it will completely abolish the income criteria previously applied to the provision of care supplies for dementia patients, becoming the first basic local government in the Ulsan region to do so.

Until now, Ulju County had limited support for essential care supplies such as diapers and wet wipes for dementia patients to households with an income at or below 140% of the median, if one year had passed since the initial application. However, from this year, any home-based dementia patient residing in Ulju County who has been classified as long-term care grades 1 to 3 will be eligible for support, regardless of income level.

This removal of the income criteria is intended to ensure that households with severe home-based dementia patients in urgent need of care can receive welfare benefits equally, regardless of their economic circumstances. Ulju County plans to shift from the existing 'income-based' support system to a 'care-based' approach, focusing on the patient's health status and level of care required, in order to address welfare blind spots and alleviate the caregiving burden on families.

For more information regarding the application for care supplies support, please contact the Ulju County Dementia Relief Center.

An official from the Ulju County Dementia Relief Center stated, "We have revised the support criteria to prioritize the condition of dementia patients and the urgency of care, rather than income," adding, "We will continue to develop on-site, customized support policies to prevent dementia patients and their families from becoming socially isolated."

Ulju County Office.