Seodaemun-gu, Full Efforts to Protect Vulnerable Groups from Summer Heatwaves

Support of Air Circulators to 532 Low-Income Elderly Living Alone and Mobility-Impaired Households... 109 Disaster Safety Helpers Check on Vulnerable Seniors Daily During Heatwave Alerts... Four Outdoor Heat Relief Centers Provide Ice Water During Heatwave Period

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seodaemun-gu (Mayor Moon Seok-jin) is implementing various measures to protect vulnerable residents from the summer heatwave.

The district will provide ‘air circulators’ to 532 low-income elderly living alone and mobility-impaired households with vulnerable housing conditions. The target households were recommended by each community service center, and the devices will be delivered before the peak heatwave season begins.

Additionally, 109 elderly care managers from the community service centers were designated as ‘disaster safety helpers’ last month and were trained on ‘how to respond to emergencies such as heat-related illnesses.’

They will guide 3,153 low-income elderly living alone aged 65 or older in the area on heatwave prevention measures. For those with cardiovascular diseases, they will regularly check on their well-being via phone or visits and coordinate with the 119 emergency call center if necessary.

Especially when a ‘heatwave warning’ is issued, they will check on residents daily together with welfare planners from the community service centers. They will also check on 2,211 elderly people who are not living alone but are recipients of tailored elderly care services, home welfare services, home management services, and free meal support, as well as other vulnerable elderly groups.

If safety cannot be confirmed through phone or visits, the situation will be immediately reported to the district office and the relevant community service center for prompt response. This monitoring is conducted even during weekends and holidays.

Furthermore, the district will operate indoor and outdoor heatwave shelters until the end of September. There are 150 indoor heatwave shelters, including 14 community service centers, 6 comprehensive welfare centers, 108 senior centers, and 22 autonomous community centers.

Last year, indoor heatwave shelters were reduced to 20 due to social distancing, but this year they have been expanded as the vaccination rate among seniors has increased.

The district has conducted disinfection and cleaning to ensure seniors can use the heatwave shelters comfortably and safely, and has also provided training on compliance with quarantine guidelines to facility managers.

The operating hours are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays. For ‘extended shelters’ at community service centers and comprehensive welfare centers, hours are extended to 9 p.m. on weekdays during heatwave warnings and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on holidays.

The district has designated quarantine managers for each shelter and follows social distancing guidelines such as maintaining visitor logs, temperature checks, hand sanitizer use, and regular ventilation.

Outdoor heatwave shelters with shade structures or tents are operated at 31 small parks frequently used by the elderly.

In particular, four outdoor heatwave shelters?Seodaemun Senior Welfare Center (Cheonyeon-dong), Yeonseo Park (Yeonhui-dong), Seodaemun Comprehensive Social Welfare Center (Namgajwa 1-dong), and Jungang Small Park (Hong Eun 1-dong)?provide cold ice water daily during the July-August heatwave period for the elderly.

Moon Seok-jin, Mayor of Seodaemun-gu, said, “We will do our best to ensure that elderly and vulnerable residents susceptible to heatwaves can spend the summer healthily and safely.”

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