"Check-in Call Saved a Life" Seongnam City Life Support Worker Rescues Senior During Heatwave

After Saying "I'm Fine," Subtle Change in Tone Detected
Life Support Worker Rescues Collapsed Senior During Second Visit
Careful Observation by Life Support Worker Amid Heatwave Advisory

The customized elderly care service operated by Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province has drawn significant attention after a case was reported in which the service actually saved a life.

Seongnam City Saves Lives During Heatwave by Daily Check-ins from Life Support Workers for Seniors (AI Generated Image). Provided by Seongnam City

Recently, as the heatwave continued for several days, an 87-year-old senior living alone in Sangdaewon 1-dong, Jungwon-gu, Seongnam City was rescued from heatstroke thanks to the consistent daily check-ins by a life support worker.

On August 3, when a heatwave advisory was in effect, Im Seona, a life support worker for the customized elderly care service, tried to call the elderly client around 8 a.m. as usual but was unable to reach them. As a result, she visited the client's home in person around 11 a.m. At that time, the elderly person said they were "fine" and did not show any significant signs of distress.

However, Im noticed that the elderly person's tone and condition were different from usual and did not ignore these signs. When she visited again around 1:30 p.m. the same day, she found the elderly person collapsed in the bathroom, unable to move. Im immediately contacted emergency services (119) and the guardian, and the elderly person was urgently transported to Bundang Jesaeng Hospital around 2 p.m.

At the hospital, the elderly person was diagnosed with heatstroke and was immediately admitted to the intensive care unit for treatment. The patient has since been moved to a general ward and is currently recovering.

This rescue was made possible by the daily check-in system of the customized elderly care service and the life support worker's sensitive response to abnormal signs. In particular, the proactive visit during the heatwave advisory period played a significant role.

Im Seona stated, "Especially in this kind of weather, when the heat is ongoing, I believe we must not overlook even the smallest changes in our elderly clients," and added, "I will continue to do my best to ensure the safety of those I care for."

Seongnam City plans to use this case as an opportunity to further refine its summer heatwave response manual and strengthen its health monitoring system for vulnerable groups.

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