Haenam-gun's Efforts to Create a Happy Haenam for the Elderly

Construction of Military Senior Citizens' Center, Expansion of Customized Elderly Care Services

Haenam County Office

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Myeong Hyeon-gwan) announced on the 4th that it will further strengthen efforts to make Haenam a better place for the elderly to live, including constructing a new senior citizens' center this year.

First, final construction work is underway for the new senior citizens' center, aiming for opening in the first half of this year. The building of the Korea Senior Citizens Association Haenam Branch, which has been in use for over 30 years, received a D grade in a safety inspection due to internal cracks and leakage issues, prompting the construction of a new building with a project budget of 2 billion KRW.

The new facility will have a total floor area of 677㎡ and two above-ground floors, housing the senior association office, meeting rooms, rest areas, and other elderly welfare facilities.

In particular, the new senior citizens' center will operate the Senior Club, a specialized institution for senior employment, to promote quality job projects for the elderly. The Ttangkkeut Haenam Senior Club, which began operations in January, started with public service-type jobs and plans to gradually expand social service-type and market-type projects next month to continuously create quality jobs for seniors.

Haenam-gun is conducting senior employment projects for 1,891 people, an increase of 333 (about 20%) compared to last year, supporting economic activities for those aged 65 and older.

The population of seniors aged 65 and above in Haenam-gun is 21,957, accounting for 32.1% of the total population. The county allocates 85.4 billion KRW, which is 11.6% of the total county budget and 59.8% of the welfare budget, to elderly welfare.

Especially, in response to changes in living conditions as the community enters a super-aged society, the county is focusing on establishing an economic foundation for a vibrant old age and supporting leisure activities, actively working to improve the quality of life for the elderly.

Along with building elderly welfare infrastructure, since January, the elderly care services, which were previously divided into basic services, comprehensive services, and short-term housekeeping services, have been reorganized into a customized service system, expanding the scope of the projects.

Accordingly, the project content is expanding from mainly check-in and housekeeping support services to customized comprehensive services, and the number of beneficiaries is expected to increase by about 735 (38.9%) from the previous 1,885 to 2,620.

Additionally, operational expenses, heating and cooling costs, and government grain support for local senior centers, which serve as living spaces for rural elderly residents, will be supplemented this year with food expenses and water purifier rental fees. Following the installation of air conditioners in all senior centers last year, the installation of massage chairs will be completed in 32 locations by the first half of this year.

This year, aging electronic devices such as air purifiers, refrigerators, and televisions in senior centers will be replaced sequentially, including remodeling the dining hall of the Senior Comprehensive Welfare Center.

With a project budget of 1.4 billion KRW this year, public bathhouses will be newly constructed in Samsan-myeon and Songji-myeon, completing the installation of public bathhouses in all township-level areas by the end of this project.

Furthermore, as a new policy project, in response to the recent increase in drivers aged 65 and older, stickers indicating senior drivers will be produced and distributed, along with the creation of an emergency contact network for elderly living alone.

Myeong Hyeon-gwan, Governor of Haenam-gun, said, “The happy old age of our seniors, who make up 30% of Haenam’s population, is the core of our county’s welfare policies,” adding, “We will continue to discover and support various projects to further enhance the welfare satisfaction of our elderly citizens.”

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