Realizing Restful Care: Usage of Gyeonggi's "Dementia Family Safe Vacation" on the Rise

Gyeonggi Province is recruiting participants for its "Dementia Family Safe Vacation Support" project, which is being implemented to alleviate the care burden on families of dementia patients and provide them with opportunities for rest in their daily lives.

This project is the first nationwide initiative to support care expenses for dementia patients and their families. It was established to offer respite to families who have accumulated physical and mental fatigue from long-term caregiving, or who need to be temporarily absent due to unavoidable circumstances. Launched in February this year, the project had received a cumulative total of 817 applications and served 229 users as of the end of July.

Gyeonggi Province operates dementia-specialized wards in six provincial geriatric hospitals. If a patient is admitted for a short-term stay (up to 10 days) at one of these hospitals, the province provides up to 30,000 KRW per day, with a maximum annual limit of 300,000 KRW, to cover nursing care costs. If families choose to use the long-term care family vacation system instead of hospitalization, the province supports out-of-pocket expenses up to 20,000 KRW per day, with a maximum annual limit of 200,000 KRW.

The number of applicants has been steadily increasing, from 15 in February, to 128 in March, 150 in April, 148 in May, 173 in June, and 203 in July. The cumulative number of users stands at 229, with 9 utilizing short-term hospitalization and 220 using long-term care institutions.

The existing long-term care family vacation system operated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare only allows for up to 11 days per year of home-visit care or use of short-term care facilities, and only offers partial discounts on service fees without direct financial support, making it difficult to substantially reduce the burden on families.

Card News on Gyeonggi-do's "Dementia Family Safe Vacation Support Project"

In contrast, Gyeonggi Province provides direct cash support for nursing care costs during provincial geriatric hospital admissions and for out-of-pocket expenses incurred when using the long-term care family vacation system, thereby offering practical assistance to caregiving families.

Notably, the program is designed to allow families to freely combine up to 10 days of provincial geriatric hospital admission and use of the long-term care family vacation system (either full-day home-visit care or short-term care services), depending on the progression of dementia, the level of professional care required, and the family's circumstances.

According to a survey of users, the most common reason for application was "the need for rest due to accumulated caregiving fatigue," and approximately 97% of respondents expressed satisfaction with the program, indicating a highly positive response.

Yoo Youngcheol, Director of Health and Wellness at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Caregiving is a long journey that is difficult to endure alone, and rest is an essential part of that journey," adding, "Gyeonggi Province will continue to create a sustainable care environment so that families of dementia patients can regain peace of mind and restore their daily lives."

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