Mapo-gu 'Hyodobapsang' Warm and Touching Story?

Balanced Meals, Well-being Checks, and Health Consultations... Praised by Participants and Their Children
2024 Construction of HyoDoBapsang Side Dish Factory... Expansion to 1,500 Elderly Users by Year-End

“Eehyangja Elder! Eehyangja Elder! Are you there?” The voice of Lee Hye-eun, an official from the Daeheung-dong Community Center, knocking on the firmly closed front door carried a sense of urgency.

When Elder Eehyangja (alias, 78), who visited the Hyo-do Bapsang Daeheung-dong Branch No. 1 every day, did not come for lunch and could not be reached by phone, the responsible official visited her home in person. Only after confirming that the elder had gone out did the official feel relieved, and later the elder expressed gratitude, saying, “The only ones who worry about old people are the Hyo-do Bapsang staff.”

Since Mapo-gu (Mayor Park Gang-su) launched the ‘Hyo-do Bapsang’ project in April last year?the first in the nation targeting local seniors aged 75 and older living alone?currently, about 500 elderly people living alone are using Hyo-do Bapsang at 17 meal service centers distributed across all neighborhoods.

The district announced that as the Hyo-do Bapsang project has successfully taken root, positive feedback and heartwarming stories within the community have been increasing.

The district sees the distinctiveness of the Hyo-do Bapsang project in that it not only supports healthy eating habits through balanced meals six days a week but also prevents risky situations such as solitary deaths by checking on elders’ well-being, and further integrates health management including monitoring diabetes and hypertension.

Examples include discovering Elder Yoon Jae-deok (alias, 86), who was living alone at home after a hip injury, and linking him to meal, housekeeping, and caregiving services, as well as Elder Kim Su-han (alias, 78), whose diabetes levels improved with balanced meals, enabling smoother daily activities.

Especially, participants living alone expressed in unison, “Having a place to go and someone to talk to is the best thing,” and “The district office provides meals and checks on us, so it feels like having a son or daughter showing filial piety.”

Gratitude for ‘Hyo-do Bapsang’ comes not only from participants. A district official stated, “Many children of participating elders have expressed thanks, saying that thanks to Hyo-do Bapsang, they worry less about their parents living alone.”

Mapo-gu plans to further expand the Hyo-do Bapsang project in 2024.

The district is promoting the construction of a ‘Side Dish Factory’ in an unused facility in Mangwon-dong that can prepare 1,000 meals, enabling more elders to participate in Hyo-do Bapsang. Additionally, 32 new meal service centers (16 in the first half and 16 in the second half of the year) will be recruited this year to provide side dishes prepared at the factory and begin operation.

Thank You Message Sent by the Children of Seniors Participating in the Filial Piety Meal Program

Thus, the district expects that by the end of 2024, 1,500 elderly people living alone?three times the current number?will be able to use Hyo-do Bapsang.

Park Gang-su, Mayor of Mapo-gu, said, “The fact that South Korea ranks first among OECD countries in elderly suicide and poverty rates is a problem everyone must face and solve,” adding, “Mapo-gu will take the lead in establishing a senior welfare system to proactively respond to the super-aged society.”

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