Seoul City and Samsung Seoul Hospital Provide Remote Customized Health Management Support for Disabled Residents in 50 Group Homes

'Group Home Customized Health Education' Expanded from 30 to 50... Samsung Seoul Hospital Medical Staff Develop Health Management Content

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government is launching tailored health management support through online and non-face-to-face methods to help people with disabilities living in group homes (shared living homes for people with disabilities) maintain their health independently in daily life.

On the 14th, according to Seoul City, the Seoul Group Home Support Center, which provides comprehensive support for group homes in Seoul, and Samsung Medical Center announced that they will expand the "Tailored Visiting Health Education for Group Home Residents" program to 50 group homes. A total of 183 people with disabilities will benefit from this.

The Seoul Group Home Support Center and Samsung Medical Center started a pilot project in 2019 and last year implemented the "Tailored Visiting Health Education for Group Home Residents" for 30 group homes. Based on the high response from both group home residents and workers, this year the program will be expanded and conducted in a non-face-to-face manner suitable for the COVID-19 era.

A resident A of an independent living shared home said, "The health education was good because it was explained simply and the answers were kind." B, a worker at Seongmojaae Shared Living Home, expressed satisfaction, saying, "I was at a loss about managing users' health, but Samsung Medical Center played a guiding role, which is reassuring," and added, "This is a project that helps manage residents' health through expert advice."

Specialized medical staff at Samsung Medical Center develop and produce health management content tailored to the level of people with developmental disabilities, covering topics such as medication misuse, emergency treatment, and diabetes management. Nurses and other medical staff visit group homes directly to provide education. This year, to minimize face-to-face contact due to COVID-19, the education will be conducted online using Zoom instead of on-site visits.

Health management supplies such as yoga mats (one per person) are provided to participating group homes, and continuous health management is supported through quizzes and strength exercise missions even after the education ends. To enhance health promotion effects, "health posters" that explain diet, exercise, and hygiene management methods in an easy-to-understand way are produced and distributed, and items such as vitamins, probiotics, and first aid medicine pouches are also supported.

In the future, various activities tailored to the level of group home residents, such as producing health education materials that are easy for group home residents with disabilities to read, will also be prepared.

On the 9th, the Seoul Group Home Support Center signed a business agreement with Samsung Medical Center (Director of External Cooperation, Lee Sang-cheol) to support health promotion activities for disabled group homes based on these contents. Since starting the "Research on Support Measures for Elderly and Near-Elderly People with Developmental Disabilities in Group Homes" in 2014, the Seoul Group Home Support Center has been supporting the health of users with disabilities. In particular, since 2019, through a network with Samsung Medical Center, it has been supporting the healthy and active daily lives of people with disabilities in group homes. The center plans to develop this model as a best practice model for small-scale group homes based in local communities.

Kim Seon-soon, Director of Welfare Policy, said, "With the signing of the MOU between the Seoul Group Home Support Center and Samsung Medical Center, we expect to further develop joint efforts to support health promotion and raise awareness for people with disabilities," adding, "More than one-third of group home users are over their 40s, making health management essential for preventing chronic diseases. We are grateful for Samsung Medical Center's cooperation. Seoul City will continue to focus on welfare that empowers the lives of people with disabilities themselves."

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