Songpa-gu Supports Elderly Living Alone to Stay Cool This Summer

Cooling Products Are a Must! Bean Sprout Kits and Companion Plants Also Help Relieve Depression

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Songpa-gu (Mayor Park Seong-su) has actively taken steps to ensure a healthy and cool summer for low-income elderly living alone.

As the intense heat begins, special attention is needed for vulnerable groups to heatwaves, and various projects such as providing cooling supplies, operating heatwave shelters, and disaster helper activities are being carried out.

In June, cool scarves were delivered to 903 elderly households living alone through life support workers, along with guidance on heatwave safety measures to help the seniors maintain their health.

Additionally, 107 households were selected to receive electric fans, window screens were installed in 27 households, and customized cooling supplies such as air coolers, cool mats, and cool towels were provided.

In particular, Songpa-gu provided bean sprout kits and companion plants to elderly living alone who had difficulty going out due to COVID-19, promoting their emotional stability. The support items have been expanded to include knitting sets, knitting manuals, and food kits to help alleviate depression among the elderly living alone.

Furthermore, public facilities such as the district office, 27 community centers, Songpa Silbeot Deutrak, Songpa Senior Welfare Center, and the Songpa, Pungnap, Macheon, Jamsil, and Garak Comprehensive Social Welfare Centers operate heatwave shelters. These replace private facility (senior centers) heatwave shelters that were suspended due to COVID-19, and 12 park pavilions have been designated and operated as outdoor heatwave shelters.

Along with this, 1,491 disaster helpers plan to ensure the safety of elderly living alone through continuous protective activities such as direct visits and phone calls to check on their well-being.

Mayor Park Seong-su of Songpa-gu said, “With COVID-19 and the heatwave coinciding, we are very concerned about the health of elderly living alone,” and added, “We will spare no human or material effort to ensure that not a single person’s health and safety is overlooked.”

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