The Story Behind Eunpyeong-gu Welfare Planner Discovering a '52-Year-Old Solitary Death'...

Efforts to Form Various Resident Relationships Including Eunpyeong-type Dong Unit Network... Establishment of Emergency Contact System to Prepare for Emergency Situations of Solitary Death Risk Groups

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] On the 13th, a 52-year-old individual, Mr. A, who lived alone in Eunpyeong-gu, was found dead alone inside his home. The first person to discover this was Sim Hyunjin, a welfare planner at Bulgwang 2-dong Community Service Center, who had called Mr. A several times to check on him but received no response, prompting a direct visit to his residence.

Finding no signs of life, they coordinated with 112 and 119 emergency services to break down the front door and entered, where they found Mr. A deceased inside the home.

Mr. A was a basic livelihood security recipient, living alone in a multi-family house after divorce and estrangement from family. He survived on livelihood benefits and disability pension, and received health care services from the public health center due to hearing impairment, diabetes, and related complications, as well as meal support services from the Care SOS program and welfare check-in services from the visiting community service center.

With the rapid increase of single-person households recently, not only elderly solitary deaths but also solitary deaths among middle-aged individuals are significantly rising.

In Eunpyeong-gu, to prevent such solitary deaths, the district is divided into five zones covering 16 neighborhoods, forming the Eunpyeong-type neighborhood-level network where public and private sectors jointly lead initiatives such as ‘Standing Together Again,’ ‘Self-help Groups,’ and ‘Side Dish Cooking Classes’ to prevent solitary deaths and foster community relationships.

Additionally, an emergency contact system has been established for those requiring care, including seniors, disabled persons, and middle-aged single-person households. Visits by welfare planners and care managers from the community service centers have been intensified to create a solitary death prevention operation system. After conducting integrated case meetings, cleaning support and psychological treatment have been linked and provided for 32 households suspected of hoarding disorder.

Furthermore, to prevent solitary deaths among single-person households, since the second half of last year, 800 members of professional organizations have been conducting one-on-one welfare check-ins targeting middle-aged single-person households at risk of solitary death.

In particular, for middle-aged single-person households with severe illnesses, beverages are delivered regularly to check on their well-being, and an emergency contact system is in place for urgent situations.

An official from Eunpyeong-gu Office stated, "To prevent solitary deaths among vulnerable groups, we will minimize welfare blind spots and strengthen the care community through public-private cooperation, connecting villages and hearts. We will strive to build a more robust local community safety net through care community projects that prevent solitary deaths."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.