Gwangju Seo-gu, Introduction of Excellent Cases in Integrated Care Services

Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Kim Ikang) announced on the 18th that it introduced excellent cases of integrated care services ahead of the Chuseok holiday while promoting a leading integrated care project.

Mr. Kim (63), residing in Hwajeong-dong, Seo-gu, Gwangju, has been battling a brain tumor for 11 years since its onset in 2012.

He had been repeatedly admitted to and discharged from the hospital for treatment, but due to economic burdens, he has been receiving home care for the past two years. Recently, complications such as Parkinson's disease and diabetes have overlapped, making it difficult for him to move alone, requiring a caregiver to stay by his side 24 hours a day.

In this situation, Kim’s wife, the only caregiver, has also been suffering from lethargy and stress due to long-term nursing care and has been unable to manage household chores for a long time.

Seogu is carrying out a housing environment improvement project for neighbors in need.
[Photo by Seogu]

Seo-gu stepped forward to help this unfortunate case. The Seo-gu Smart Integrated Care Office and Hwajeong 3-dong Administrative Welfare Center, while monitoring integrated care case management in the district, learned of this situation and carried out housing environment improvement projects through continuous counseling and persuasion with Mr. Kim and his wife, as well as regional care meetings.

Local public and private organizations such as Cheongso Baksa Cooperative, Hwajeong 3-dong Community Security Council, and Gwangju Probation Office also joined forces to add significance to this effort.

Seo-gu provided a fan for the subject who was enduring the heat without any air conditioning and supplies a monthly enteral nutrition meal to prevent nutritional deficiency.

Starting next month, doctors from the Seo-gu Home Medical Center will visit the home once a month, and nurses will visit twice a month regularly to check the health status of the subject.

Mr. Kim and his wife expressed their gratitude, saying, “There is no cure for a long illness, and no filial son in a long illness, but thanks to the warm neighbors, we have regained strength and opened our hearts. Thanks to Seo-gu’s caring hands, we will be able to spend the holiday with our family for the first time in seven years.”

Yoon Jongseong, head of the Seo-gu Smart Integrated Care Office, said, “We will devote more effort to providing field-centered customized services so that Seo-gu’s integrated care can become a new milestone in Korea’s welfare and realize ‘Together Seo-gu.’”

Meanwhile, Seo-gu has been promoting the ‘Community Integrated Care Leading Project’ for four years since 2019, and since July of this year, it has been conducting a pilot project led by the Ministry of Health and Welfare to integrally support elderly care, medical treatment, and nursing.

Shin Dongho, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy baekok@asiae.co.kr

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