Gongju City Sees Series of Local Governments Benchmarking 'Smart Senior Centers'

Benchmarking Rush from Boryeong, Suncheon in Jeonnam, Uiryeong in Gyeongnam, and More

Officials from Chungnam Provincial Government are visiting the smart senior center in Gongju City and receiving explanations from the officials there. Photo by Gongju City Hall

The 'Smart Senior Center Expansion Project' being promoted by Gongju City, Chungnam Province, is emerging as a benchmarking case for local governments nationwide.

After completing the third phase of the Smart Senior Center Establishment Project in December last year, the city is currently operating a total of 236 smart senior centers.

In particular, Gongju City has established the first 'Smart Senior Center Integrated Center' in Chungnam, serving as a hub for systematic management and operation.

This project is centered around operating an interactive video program and providing health management services, with the cooperation of multiple partner organizations including the Gongju branch of the Korean Senior Citizens Association, Gongju Police Station, Gongju Fire Station, Gongju branch of the National Health Insurance Service, Kongju National University, and the Gongju Senior Welfare Center.

In addition, in cooperation with the Gongju Public Health Center, the health of the elderly is being systematically managed, and a variety of educational and communication opportunities are being provided through the video system.

This successful case of operation is attracting great interest from other local governments. Last year, Boryeong City, Suncheon City in Jeonnam, Uiryeong County in Gyeongnam, and the Myeongcheon Silver Welfare Center in Boryeong directly benchmarked the project, and this year, Yongin City in Gyeonggi Province, Sejong City, Namyangju City in Gyeonggi Province, and Chungnam Province have been making continuous inquiries and visits.

In particular, Gongju Police Station has continued to provide customized education for seniors, such as conducting traffic safety education and safety training for electric wheelchair and scooter users via the video system as recently as March of this year.

Furthermore, following the recent escalation of the wildfire disaster alert to 'severe' in the Gyeongbuk region due to wildfires, wildfire prevention campaigns utilizing video education are also being conducted in parallel, strengthening proactive response efforts.

The smart senior centers are functioning as a customized welfare model that reflects not only the living environment but also the health status of the elderly, going beyond being simple facilities.

Related departments, including the Senior and Disabled Persons Division and the Public Health Center of Gongju City, are collaborating to focus on the prevention of geriatric diseases and the identification of high-risk groups. As of the end of March, a total of 48 high-risk individuals have been identified, with ongoing health monitoring and healthcare services being provided.

Mayor Choi Woncheol said, "We are grateful that Gongju City's unique smart senior centers are drawing attention from local governments across the country," adding, "We will continue to actively support the smart senior centers so that they can become spaces that encompass the health, welfare, and daily lives of seniors, thereby contributing to the improvement of their quality of life."

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