Gwangjin-gu Care SOS Center Expanded to All Neighborhoods... Immediate Response to Care Gaps

Expansion of Care SOS Centers to 15 Community Service Centers... Deployment of Dedicated Welfare and Nursing Care Managers to Identify Needed Care Services Through Direct Visits

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwangjin-gu (District Mayor Kim Seon-gap) is installing and expanding the ‘Care SOS Centers’ in all 15 neighborhoods to support vulnerable groups in urgent need of care.

This project was prepared to promote a detailed community-level care service by expanding the Care SOS Centers to all neighborhood community centers this year, following the establishment of the integrated support center for Care SOS Centers within the Welfare Policy Division in August last year and the implementation of a pilot project.

Each neighborhood-level Care SOS Center will be staffed with dedicated care managers specializing in welfare and nursing, providing prompt services by linking public and private resources for residents experiencing care gaps.

The target beneficiaries are middle-aged and older adults aged 50 and above, seniors, and persons with disabilities who have difficulty moving alone, lack family members to care for them, and are currently unable to use public care services.

The services provided include the existing five types: ▲temporary home care ▲accompaniment for outings ▲housing convenience ▲meal support ▲customized information counseling, with three additional services: ▲short-term facility admission ▲welfare checks ▲health support, totaling eight types of services.

The support procedure involves residents in need of care applying at their local neighborhood community center, after which the neighborhood care manager visits the home to assess the necessary care services and provides them through specialized care institutions.

The district plans to build an integrated care system by signing business agreements with nine local care service providers last year and pursuing additional agreements with seven more providers this year to ensure essential care services are delivered to residents.

District Mayor Kim Seon-gap said, “As the demand for care has increased due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, we plan to expand the Care SOS Centers at the neighborhood level to provide resident-centered customized care services,” adding, “Through integrated care linking public and private sectors, we will establish a reliable welfare system that residents can truly feel.”

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