Seoul City Opens Dongdaemun and Mapo Silver Care Centers... Recruiting Elderly for Care

Opening of Public Elderly Care Facilities Silver Care Centers in Dongdaemun and Mapo after 15 Years
Expansion of Reliable Public Care Facilities in Gangdong, Eunpyeong, and More

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City, which is set to open Silver Care Centers in Dongdaemun and Mapo this July, is recruiting elderly individuals who require care due to geriatric diseases. The two Silver Care Centers, which have been recruiting residents since March, will undergo pilot operations in April and May and are scheduled to officially open in July this year.

According to Seoul City on the 17th, following the enforcement of the Long-Term Care Insurance Act for the Elderly, a basic plan to expand public nursing facilities has been established to meet the increasing demand for elderly care facilities due to geriatric diseases and dementia. The city is promoting the construction of municipal Silver Care Centers using city-owned land. Public nursing facilities are also planned to be built in Gangdong and Eunpyeong, with a total of six municipal and two district-run facilities expected to be established by 2025.

The public nursing facilities recruiting residents from March and scheduled to officially open in July are the municipal Dongdaemun Silver Care Center and the municipal Mapo Silver Care Center. In accordance with the “National Responsibility System for Dementia,” these centers are equipped with dementia-specialized facilities, and care workers who have completed dementia-specialized training provide care services to the elderly. Additionally, through medical services such as physical therapy and occupational therapy, they support the elderly to perform daily activities independently. They also offer services to promote elderly medical welfare, including customized nursing services, nutritional meal support, integrated medical linkage services, cultural and artistic healing programs, and family support.

Designed as community hubs for elderly care in the region, these centers provide spaces where residents can freely participate rather than being isolated. Inside the nursing homes, the size of individual spaces is minimized to facilitate small-group care, fostering bonds among residents so they can live in a family-like atmosphere.

The Dongdaemun Silver Care Center is arranged with nursing rooms at the front and features a courtyard-centered design that blends indoor and outdoor spaces, creating an environment of healing and care. On the first floor, a resident-friendly space such as a book caf? is provided for both facility users and local residents to relax. The Mapo Silver Care Center is designed like a small village nestled in the forest, aiming to promote psychological stability and solidarity among the elderly. The planned complex where the facility is located is expected to become a space where diverse residents coexist, including healthy retirees from the 50+ Campus, young entrepreneurs from the startup hub, and elderly care residents, with the center positioned at its heart.

Resident recruitment is conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. If applications are received after the capacity is full, applicants are registered as waiting candidates and can be admitted in order as vacancies arise. The admission process proceeds in the order of application → waiting list → consultation → contract → facility admission, and recruitment is on a first-come, first-served basis.

When admitted to a facility with a long-term care grade, there is a 20% co-payment of the long-term care benefit cost. However, recipients of the National Basic Livelihood Security are exempt from this co-payment, and beneficiaries under the Medical Care Assistance Act receive a reduced co-payment rate (8-12%).

Lee Eun-young, Director of the Elderly Welfare Division of Seoul City, stated, “Seoul is continuously expanding municipal elderly care facilities to proactively respond to the transition to a super-aged society. We will carefully oversee everything from construction to operation to ensure that the municipal Dongdaemun Silver Care Center and Mapo Silver Care Center, opening this year, become elderly care facilities that Seoul citizens can trust and use with confidence.”

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