The Story Behind Saving 64-Year-Old Ms. Lee at Eunpyeong Care SOS Center?

Ilshijaega Completes Over 5,000 Care Support Cases Within One Year of Implementing Meal Support Services

Kim Mi-kyung, Mayor of Eunpyeong District, visiting local residents and having a conversation in January.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] In March, a call requesting urgent help was received at the Eunpyeong-gu Galhyeon-dong Care SOS Center.

A homeowner in Galhyeon-dong reported, “Ms. Lee (64), who lives alone, is in a state of severe malnutrition and is left alone in a very unsanitary house, so I am requesting help.”

After immediately dispatching and confirming the situation on site, the Eunpyeong-gu Office care manager (a welfare public official) judged the crisis to be severe and quickly decided to provide the Care SOS Service.

Ms. Lee is an unmarried middle-aged man who, after suddenly losing his job due to a health deterioration at the end of last year, became pessimistic about reality and isolated himself from those around him, leading to the worst situation.

After losing his job, he even used up his savings for medical expenses and was in a state of despair, hoping only to die. At the time of the report, he was in a state of severe malnutrition, standing 170 cm tall and weighing less than 30 kg.

Recognizing the care crisis, the care manager quickly provided temporary home care services through a care worker, including meals, cleaning, and medication, to resolve the immediate crisis. To assist with financial difficulties, a basic living security application was made ex officio, and since there was no obligated supporter, he was promptly selected as a basic livelihood recipient in early April.

Currently, after three months of temporary home care services, Mr. Lee has regained enough strength to manage daily life and expressed gratitude in a bright voice, saying, “I was waiting for death in despair, but now I have found hope in the latter half of my life.” He also asked that “people in difficult situations like me receive help.”

The care manager who made the quick decision to provide support said, “Mr. Lee is neither elderly nor disabled, so he was a middle-aged blind spot case not covered by existing public care systems such as long-term care insurance. Without the Care SOS Center, it would have been difficult for him to recover his health as he has now.” He expressed a strong commitment to continue discovering residents like Mr. Lee.

The Eunpyeong-gu Office announced that the Care SOS Center service, which started in July last year, has achieved over 5,000 care cases within one year, effectively serving as an emergency care room for residents in care blind spots.

The Care SOS Center is a one-stop integrated care service window that visits residents in crisis who have no family to provide care in emergencies such as accidents or illness and connects them with customized services. The services provided include eight major services: temporary home care, short-term facilities, accompaniment support, housing convenience, meal support, health support, welfare checks, and information counseling services.

Selected as one of five pilot autonomous districts in Seoul in July last year, Eunpyeong-gu has deployed one care manager in each of the 16 neighborhood community centers for more thorough target discovery and care, with plans to add 16 more by the end of this year, so that two care managers will work in each neighborhood.

Additionally, through business agreements with 44 private service providers who actually supply services, they are jointly responding to care issues.

Starting in August, the Care SOS Center care services will be expanded to all 25 districts, and anyone in need of care, including elderly, disabled, and middle-aged households (aged 50?64), can use the Care SOS Center services.

Low-income groups, including recipients and near-poor, and those up to 85% of median income receive full support for service costs, while other residents can use the services with co-payments. However, due to COVID-19 emergency care, cost support is temporarily expanded up to 100% of median income.

Kim Mikyung, head of Eunpyeong-gu Office, said, “With rapid aging, an increase in single-person households, and a reduction in family functions, the burden of care within families has increased, and it is time for the public sector to take responsibility for urgent care needs. I hope that the Care SOS Center will establish an emergency care system and lead universal care welfare where everyone can be happy in Eunpyeong-gu.”

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