'Seongbuk-gu Elderly-Friendly Customized Housing Management Service' Wins Comprehensive Housing Welfare Award

Seongbuk-gu Wins '2020 Housing Welfare Culture Award Comprehensive Grand Prize in Institutional Category'... Safe Home Renovations and Hygienic Living Environments for Better Lives of the Elderly... Job Creation in Promising Human Service Sector for Aging Society - Providing Opportunities for Youth Challenges

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Lee Seung-ro, photo), which first attempted the ‘Elderly-Friendly Customized Housing Management Service’ project in 2019, won the Grand Prize in the institution category at the ‘2020 Housing Welfare Culture Awards’ hosted by the Housing Welfare Culture Movement Headquarters and sponsored by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

The ‘Elderly-Friendly Customized Housing Management Service’ is a project boldly invested in by Seongbuk-gu and Seoul City to create new jobs and expand public services through cooperation.

Lee Seung-ro, Mayor of Seongbuk-gu

This is a human service-based project in which young talents participate to address elderly housing issues that are difficult to solve with general home repair technicians, performing tasks such as housing remodeling and creating hygienic living environments.

Over the past two years, 1,030 services have been provided to 255 elderly households vulnerable in housing. Through housing remodeling for fall prevention, simple home repairs tailored to daily life, housing energy efficiency improvements, and quarantine services for COVID-19 prevention, the quality of life for the elderly has been enhanced.

The reasons Seongbuk-gu introduced the ‘Elderly-Friendly Customized Housing Management Service’ are as follows.

For most elderly people, their home is a place of comfort but also a ‘dangerous’ space where major safety accidents such as falls occur. According to the Consumer Injury Surveillance System (CISS) conducted by the Korea Consumer Agency over the past three years (2016?2019), 63.4% of elderly safety accidents occurred in housing. Among these, 56.4% were fall accidents.

Also, about 30% of seniors aged 65 or older experience at least one fall per year, and among them, 50% experience recurrent falls. For the elderly, falls are not only a direct cause of injury but also a factor that lowers quality of life and increases the risk of death.

Nevertheless, in reality, even if elderly people want to remodel their homes, there is no proper place to obtain information or seek help, and general home repair technicians tend to prefer comprehensive repairs rather than partial remodeling, resulting in a significant financial burden. Although most local governments provide various housing welfare services, it was also noted that home repair services mainly focus on improving the exterior and performance of aging houses.

Seongbuk-gu first expanded the target of barrier-free remodeling services, which were mainly supported for disabled households and welfare facilities, to elderly households. By promoting elderly-friendly customized housing remodeling and home repairs, differentiated from simply repairing vulnerable households’ homes, measures are taken to remove and alleviate factors that threaten the safety of elderly residents and hinder independent living.

As life expectancy extends and aging accelerates, the human service sector is growing as a promising industry, so focus was also placed on training youth as professional personnel.

In collaboration with Yonsei University’s Department of Housing Environment and experts in the field, a specialized curriculum totaling 300 hours was developed, including 140 hours of basic theory education and 160 hours of field training. A standardized process from survey and planning to construction was established, including selection tools for counseling and investigation of support recipients.

Professor Hiroyuki Ueda of Osaka City University giving a lecture on Japan’s elderly-friendly housing remodeling situation to the ‘Elderly-Friendly Customized Housing Management Service’ youth project team during a visit to Seongbuk-gu in 2019

Professor Hiroyuki Ueda of Osaka City University, who has led elderly-friendly housing remodeling for about 300 households in Japan, which entered a super-aged society earlier than Korea, visited the site of Seongbuk-gu’s elderly-friendly customized housing management service in 2019 and said, “Even Japan, which has long prepared for a super-aged society, has not established a standard manual for elderly-friendly housing remodeling,” adding, “Although starting late, Seongbuk-gu’s systematic preparation at the local government level is very impressive, and I hope Japan’s case will be of great help.”

Professor Yeon-sook Lee, Honorary Special Professor of Yonsei University’s Department of Housing Environment, who oversaw the theoretical education of the ‘Elderly-Friendly Customized Housing Management Service’ project, emphasized, “Supporting the housing environment so that the elderly can live independently, healthily, and easily without accidents can reduce medical expenses of about 1.3 trillion won caused by safety accidents and prevent repeating the failures of advanced countries that mainly responded through nursing facilities.”

Twenty-six youths aged 39 or younger residing in Seoul, interested in housing service jobs, participated as the ‘Elderly-Friendly Customized Housing Management Service’ youth project team. These individuals, who boldly entered a new field without experience or career in related areas, diligently completed the newly specialized curriculum including humanities and welfare, resident counseling, housing condition surveys and analysis, and housing remodeling technical training, becoming experts in human services.

Over the past two years, the youth project team communicated with support recipients, investigating disability types, housing types, mobility methods, housing life behaviors, and spatial suitability, and proceeded with demand-tailored construction plans and execution. They frequently visited 255 elderly households vulnerable in housing recommended by 20 neighborhood community centers and meticulously fulfilled 1,033 requests.

Youth project team manager Jin-gu Kim said, “Meeting many elderly people made me think that the various taxes we pay are being properly used for those who are struggling and in need, so it is not a waste,” and added, “I also developed a desire to create a meaningful community business model so that many cases experienced through the project do not end as mere experiences but become a foundation for a better old age for all.”

Professor Hiroyuki Ueda of Osaka City University giving a lecture on the status of elderly-friendly housing renovations in Japan to the youth project group for the "Elderly-Friendly Customized Housing Management Service" during a visit to Seongbuk-gu last year

Before and after the Elderly-Friendly Customized Housing Management Service for Elderly Resident Im**, 83, living alone in a detached house

The Dong Community Security Council, a reliable private welfare partner in the local community, also participated. They visited elderly people who had difficulty moving and supported daily necessities. Residents of Dong-A Eco Ville Apartment in Sangwolgok-dong recycled discarded furniture from the apartment to produce and support household furniture such as bed risers and entrance chairs that can prevent falls among the elderly.

The Seongbuk-gu Volunteer Center, Seongbuk Geumwoo Volunteer Group, Gojip (Korea University Habitat), and nine other private volunteer organizations with 176 members participated in home repair volunteer activities such as wallpapering, floor replacement, and sink replacement in connection with the youth project team. The ‘Elderly-Friendly Customized Housing Management Service’ has thus become a kind of welfare ecosystem involving the local community.

Recipients of the elderly-friendly customized housing management service were very satisfied with the housing remodeling that fully reflected their intentions and physical conditions while maintaining their daily lives, rather than one-sided construction.

Im**, 83, an elderly resident living alone in a detached house, is unable to straighten her back due to spinal, pelvic, and leg injuries from a traffic accident. Recently, she fell while standing on a chair to take down items and fractured her ribs. The existing storage cabinet was positioned too high relative to her physical function, so she had to stand on a chair to cook, posing a very high risk of secondary and tertiary falls. She also had difficulty moving and had to hold onto walls inside the house, and the bathroom was prone to slipping accidents.

Youths visiting Im grandmother’s house conducted consultations to identify safety accident vulnerabilities and fall prevention measures within the housing facilities. They lowered the height of the sink, which had to be used while standing on a chair, and installed the faucet in a convenient location. Safety handrails were installed along the movement paths in the master bedroom, living room, and bathroom. The bathroom mirror, toilet paper holder, and towel rack were also installed according to her physical conditions. The entrance door, vulnerable to security and insulation issues, was replaced with a convenient fire door. Additionally, various elderly-centered constructions such as anti-slip measures, threshold removal, remote-operated lighting installation, and stair safety handrails were carried out.

Baek**, 81, who is battling Alzheimer’s disease, was able to move more easily and safely after the steps from the gate to the front door were leveled and handrails installed. After installing handrails at the bathroom entrance, Seongbuk-gu Mayor Lee Seung-ro explained the changes to Baek elder.

Jo**, 93, who lives with her son in his 60s who is paralyzed in the lower body and must crawl inside the house, felt relieved seeing the bleeding on her son’s knee stop after threshold removal construction. Jo elder, holding the hands of the youth project team who visited after the construction, wiped tears and said, “My son’s knees, which have been a constant worry all my life, are now fine... I don’t know how to repay this kindness.”

Additionally, Baek**, 81, battling Alzheimer’s, was able to move more easily and safely after the steps from the gate to the front door were leveled and handrails installed. Shin**, 73, who had to sleep in a cramped space filled with trash, smiled saying she could stretch her legs fully after receiving cleaning and quarantine services.

The Housing Welfare Culture Movement Headquarters highly evaluated the ‘Elderly-Friendly Customized Housing Management Service’ project for improving the housing environment, fulfilling emotional support and psychological satisfaction of recipients, enhancing elderly housing rights and quality of life by providing safe and comfortable living, and improving daily life convenience for elderly with mobility difficulties. They also praised the early implementation in the first half of the year, which timely improved the housing environment and increased welfare awareness, selecting it as the Grand Prize winner in the institution category at the ‘2020 Housing Welfare Culture Awards.’

Seongbuk-gu Mayor Lee Seung-ro said, “Seongbuk-gu has innovatively challenged with the philosophy that the quality of life for the elderly is a core agenda of universal welfare policy and that the starting point is for all citizens to live dignified lives in safe and comfortable housing environments, driven by the urgent need to prepare now for future community changes and crises brought by ongoing demographic changes.”

He added, “I am pleased that Seongbuk-gu’s small challenge and success in strengthening the linkage between housing support and care services, and between families and communities to create a community-centered care environment, will spread throughout local communities and provide a foundation for a new housing welfare culture in Korea.”

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