Gwangju City to Operate Intensive Application Period for 'Customized Elderly Care Service' Next Month

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 31st that it will operate a concentrated application period for the ‘Customized Care Service for the Elderly’ from the 1st to the 30th of next month.

The Customized Care Service for the Elderly was established to provide appropriate care services to vulnerable elderly people who have difficulty carrying out daily life, ensuring a stable old age, maintaining the elderly’s functions and health, and preventing deterioration.

Currently, about 9,000 elderly people in the jurisdiction are using services provided by 19 implementing agencies.

This concentrated application is being promoted to actively discover vulnerable elderly people and provide appropriate care services, considering that the use of elderly welfare facilities and senior centers has been restricted due to COVID-19, deepening social isolation and loneliness among the elderly.

Once selected as a recipient of the Customized Care Service for the Elderly, they will receive various services in the areas of safety support, social participation, life education, and daily living either directly or through linkage with private sponsorship.

In addition, while complying with infectious disease safety rules, services such as welfare checks, safety checks, life education, and sponsored goods for emotional support are provided.

In particular, Gwangju provides specialized services such as emotional support programs through individual counseling and case management to prevent suicide and reduce depression for elderly people among the recipients who have weak social relationships or high levels of depression.

Elderly people who wish to use the Customized Care Service for the Elderly can apply through the local community service center. Eligibility for application includes those aged 65 or older who are recipients of the National Basic Livelihood Security, lower-income brackets, or basic pension recipients. Single elderly, elderly couples, and grandparent-headed households can also apply.

However, those who are long-term care insurance grade holders, users of home-visit housekeeping and nursing support projects, users of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs’ home welfare services, or users of disability activity support projects, among other similar overlapping project qualifications, are excluded.

If visiting in person is difficult, applications can also be made by phone, mail, or fax to the community service center, and family members can apply on behalf of the applicant by preparing a power of attorney and related documents.

Service recipients are determined through approval by the autonomous district after social workers from the implementing agencies comprehensively consult and investigate the applicant’s social relationships, difficulties in physical activities, cognitive decline, or depression, and judge that there are difficulties in independent daily living.

For detailed information on the Customized Care Service for the Elderly, application methods, and required documents, contact the local community service center, each implementing agency, the Health and Welfare Counseling Center, the Comprehensive Support Center for the Elderly Living Alone, or the Gwangju Metropolitan Support Agency.

Park Hyang, Director of the Welfare and Health Bureau of the city, said, “As the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic has exhausted the elderly, they may lose the will to live daily life due to loneliness and depression, so care and attention from those around them are needed more than ever. We will do our best together with autonomous districts and implementing agencies to ensure that meticulous customized care services are provided to elderly people who need daily help.”

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