Nowon-gu Selected as the Best District for Disability Health Management Project, the Only One Among Seoul's Autonomous Districts

Operating Mobile Exercise Programs for "Inclusive Rehabilitation for People with Disabilities in Nowon" with 15 Community Hub Institutions Selected by Residential Area... Comprehensive Social Welfare Centers, Disability Welfare Centers, and Health Clinics Comprise the Integrated Rehabilitation Service Support... Group Rehabilitation Exercises, Posture Correction, New Sports, Along with Education on Sexual Rights, Self-Management, Aromatherapy, and Horticultural Therapy Programs Provided for Capacity Building and Leisure

Nowon-gu, Seoul (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it was selected as the top district in the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s “2023 Excellent Case Contest for Health Management Projects for Persons with Disabilities.”

According to data from the National Health Insurance Service in 2021, the prevalence of chronic diseases among non-disabled people is 46.5%, while the prevalence among persons with disabilities is about twice as high at 86.4%. Improving healthy lifestyle habits for persons with disabilities is of utmost importance, but in reality, it is difficult to maintain regular exercise due to lack of assistance and limited access to facilities.

Accordingly, the district has designated regional base institutions with the goal of “Disability Rehabilitation, No Blind Spots in Nowon,” providing exercise opportunities by visiting persons with disabilities. The base institutions were selected from comprehensive social welfare centers, disability welfare centers, and health branches to support integrated rehabilitation services for persons with disabilities.

Each institution runs programs aimed at preventing and managing chronic diseases, restoring physical functions, and improving daily living skills. Along with exercise programs such as group rehabilitation exercise, posture correction exercise, new sports, and recreational sports for persons with disabilities, capacity-building and leisure programs such as sex and human rights education, self-management education, aromatherapy, and horticultural therapy are also operated.

In particular, the exercise programs focus on small group exercises reflecting the degree of disability and needs of participants, guided by experts including rehabilitation specialists, professional instructors, and disability recreational sports leaders. For persons with disabilities who have difficulty participating directly in the programs, specialized physical therapists provide personalized exercise before encouraging participation in group exercises. The district plans to promote camaraderie by combining strength training and posture correction exercises using various small tools with new sports, eventually linking these to self-help groups.

Since April last year, when the project was conducted at four locations, it has expanded to a total of 15 locations according to demand. As of August this year, a total of 433 sessions have been held with 241 participants exercising together. According to a participant satisfaction survey, all respondents expressed willingness to participate again, and the MBI (Modified Barthel Index) test conducted before and after the program showed functional improvement from 65.5 points to 69.25 points. The district plans to discover one more comprehensive social welfare center and further support case management targets by mutually linking health branches and welfare centers.

By conducting visiting exercise programs for persons with disabilities in residential areas, fulfilling their exercise needs, and supporting customized exercise programs for persons with brain lesions and physical disabilities, the district was recognized and awarded the top prize, equivalent to the Minister of Health and Welfare Award, at the “2023 Integrated Performance Conference on Health and Welfare for Persons with Disabilities” held at Konkuk University Saecheonyeon Hall on the 2nd.

District Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “Exercise in daily life is very important for persons with disabilities, and to solve practical issues such as accessibility, we decided to go directly to where they are,” adding, “I thank the welfare institution officials who cooperated in operating the project, and we will continue to spare no support to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities.”

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