Why Did Seongdong-gu Provide ‘Bean Sprout Growing Kits’ to Elderly Living Alone at Home?

Direct Visits by Life Support Workers to 786 Single Elderly Households for Psychological Quarantine Against COVID-19: Installation of Bean Sprout Kits and Welfare Checks

Elderly Mr. Im Do-woong from Majang-dong

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] “When can we go back to the welfare center? Staying at home every day is so frustrating I feel like I’m going to die...”

The Welfare Policy Division of Seongdong-gu Office receives daily calls from elderly residents asking when the welfare center, which they used to visit every day, will reopen.

With the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, it is no exaggeration to say that all daily lives of the health-vulnerable elderly have come to a halt. Welfare centers and senior citizen centers, which were one of the few joys for the elderly, have entered an indefinite long-term closure, and the social isolation felt by elderly people living alone is increasingly growing.

This is what is now commonly referred to as "Corona Blue" (blue: depression).

In response, Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) has decided to provide 786 elderly living alone, who are recipients of the customized elderly care service, with “bean sprout growing kits that can be grown at home.”

The bean sprout growing kit requires watering 3 to 4 times a day and attention. After about a week, the sprouts can be harvested and cooked, providing a hearty nutritional supplement. It offers the elderly a daily pastime, allowing them to watch the growth process and soothe their somewhat depressed minds, serving as a psychological quarantine “hope vaccine” that encourages the belief that the situation will improve soon.

Since the 20th, 65 life support workers from Seongdong Senior Welfare Center and Oksu Home Care Support Center have been visiting the homes of elderly living alone to install the kits and check on their well-being. These life support workers have also been making daily phone calls to check on them since the onset of COVID-19.

Im Do-ung (80), an elderly resident of Majang-dong who received the kit, said, “Spending the whole day alone in my room was suffocating, and not being able to meet friends made my life like a prison where the television was my only friend. I never thought about growing bean sprouts before, but it reminded me of the times I used to grow them, and having this pastime feels like a small joy.”

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “I am always worried because when the elderly’s minds start to suffer, their bodies can also become ill. I hope the ‘hope vaccine bean sprout kit’ will relieve their boredom and provide comfort to their hearts so they can calmly accept the current situation.”

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