Preventing Solitary Death Risks Together: Public and Private Sectors Unite

Yeongdeungpo-gu Promotes ‘Comprehensive Plan for Preventing Solitary Deaths’

From August, Full-Scale Implementation of ‘Comprehensive Plan for Preventing Solitary Deaths’ Including Two Major Strategies and 31 Detailed Projects

Establishing a Continuous Detection System and Linking Customized Welfare Services to Identified At-Risk Households

Helping At-Risk Households Return to Daily Life... Serving as a Strong Support for Socially Vulnerable Groups

Choi Ho-gwon, Yeongdeungpo District Mayor

Yeongdeungpo-gu (Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) announced that starting in August, it will actively implement the ‘Comprehensive Plan for Preventing Solitary Deaths’ to prevent solitary deaths and expand the safety net for socially isolated households.

Recently, the increase in single-person households and the weakening of family caregiving functions have led to a rise in solitary deaths, emerging as a social issue. As of August, Yeongdeungpo-gu has 95,305 single-person households, accounting for about 50% of the total 195,310 households.

Accordingly, the district plans to establish a continuous detection system for socially isolated at-risk households to identify them more thoroughly and actively promote stability in daily life and prevention of solitary deaths through customized support for these households.

At the end of July, the district established the ‘Comprehensive Plan for Preventing Solitary Deaths,’ which includes two major strategies?continuous detection system establishment and customized welfare service linkage?and 31 detailed projects.

The continuous detection system includes ▲a survey on the status of single-person households at risk of solitary death ▲regular surveys to identify welfare blind spots ▲strengthening the reporting system for at-risk households (such as the Red Mailbox and Yeongdeungpo-gu Welfare Counseling Center operations) ▲and continuous detection through public-private cooperation.

In particular, the district utilizes big data on 39 types of risk information from 18 institutions (such as power outages, water supply interruptions, and utility bill arrears) to conduct welfare blind spot surveys six times a year, focusing also on continuous detection through public-private cooperation. Electric and city gas meter readers, postal workers, management office staff, real estate agents, pharmacists, and others from both public and private sectors actively collaborate to identify at-risk households in their local living areas.

The district links customized welfare services to the identified at-risk households to help them escape social isolation and return to daily life. Services include ▲‘customized service linkage’ such as the National Basic Livelihood Security System, emergency welfare, and tailored home health care ▲‘continuous care using information and communication technology’ such as smart plugs and AI check-in services ▲‘care linked with local residents’ such as Our Neighborhood Care Group ▲‘social network formation projects’ such as single-person household communities and senior centers ▲and ‘support for high-difficulty, reclusive at-risk households’ such as community living for hoarding households, all tailored to the characteristics of the recipients.

Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, stated, “Solitary death is not just an individual issue but a timely challenge that requires all members of society to come together and solve. We will faithfully carry out the comprehensive plan for preventing solitary deaths, create a Yeongdeungpo without solitary deaths, and serve as a strong support for socially vulnerable groups.”

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