Goheung-gun Initiates Comprehensive Plan to Prevent Solitary Deaths

Published 18 Jul.2023 16:41(KST)

Establishing a Welfare Safety Net to Prevent Solitary Deaths

Gohung-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Gong Young-min) announced on the 18th that it has established and begun implementing a comprehensive plan to prevent solitary deaths, ensuring that not a single resident is isolated through the establishment of a dense and reliable welfare safety net during the 8th term of the civilian administration.

This initiative aims to address the social issue of ‘solitary death’ arising from the recent changes in family structure centered on single-person households and prolonged infectious diseases, which have deepened social isolation and disconnection. The plan focuses on identifying high-risk groups, checking on their well-being, providing living support, and establishing a system to review and respond to solitary death prevention projects.

[Photo by Goheung-gun]

According to the county, although there are no statistics available due to the early detection of deaths through neighbors or village chiefs typical of rural fishing and farming areas, single-person households (18,743 households) account for 52.8% of the total households (35,475 households) as of June 30, 2023. Therefore, the plan is to proactively and preemptively prepare through interdepartmental collaboration and cooperation with private organizations.

This comprehensive plan includes four main strategies under the goal of ‘building a dense and reliable welfare safety net to prevent solitary deaths’: ▲focused identification and support of high-risk groups for solitary death ▲strengthening connections to resolve social isolation ▲linking and supporting services across life cycles ▲strengthening the foundation for solitary death prevention and management.

To focus on identifying high-risk groups for solitary death, the plan utilizes welfare blind spot detection systems and integrated human safety networks such as the Hope-it-GO Discovery Team and Life Keeper. Additionally, it helps alleviate social isolation through village welfare plan development with residents and the “Mind Walk along the Forest Path” project by the public health center. It also strives to prevent solitary deaths by linking and supporting life cycle services such as youth mental health support, home nursing services, and strengthened integrated case management for middle-aged adults.

Kang Chun-ja, Director of the Resident Welfare Division, said, “Solitary death is no longer just an individual issue but a problem that our community and entire village must pay attention to and monitor.” She added, “With the establishment of this comprehensive plan, we will do our best to prevent and respond to solitary deaths by strengthening public services and human safety network activities.”