'Super-Aged' Haenam County, Gaps in Medical Access for Elderly Living Alone

Of Haenam's 62,000 Residents, 38.6% Are Seniors
Care Service Gaps, Including Hospital Accompaniment
County Claims "Solitary Death Prevention Policies Are in Place"
Residents Criticize "Bureaucratic Measures Without Real Support"
County Council Passes Related Ordinance Only Recently
Urgent Need for Budget Allocation and Dedicated Personnel

An elderly woman in her 80s, identified as Ms. A, who had been living alone in Haenam County, South Jeolla Province, recently relocated to another region where her children reside. After losing her husband, Ms. A had lived alone in a small village in Haenam-eup and had consistently refused to move in with her children, saying she did not want to feel like a burden. However, as her mobility declined and her eyesight worsened to the point where she could no longer visit the hospital, she ultimately gave in and moved.

Ms. A shared, "Looking around, I see many elderly people living alone who suddenly collapse at home and pass away without ever making it to the hospital," adding, "I was terrified every night, worried I might die alone like that." She continued, "Even if there was an emergency in the village, there was no one to accompany me to the hospital," and explained, "I was so afraid of having no one to look out for me that I had no other choice but to leave Haenam."

Exterior view of Haenam County Office.

According to the county on September 7, as of August 31, the population of Haenam County is 62,480, with 24,108 residents aged 65 or older, accounting for 38.6% of the total. The region has a high proportion of single-person elderly households aged 70 or older, making it a representative "super-aged area" where the percentage of seniors in the overall population is particularly high.

The county stated that it is operating various policies to prevent solitary deaths. These include the Emergency Safety and Reassurance Service, which allows for welfare checks and 119 emergency calls; customized care services for seniors in need; and the "One-Minute Call of Love" program for welfare checks on reclusive individuals.

In particular, 205 senior care managers are responsible for the safety management of those receiving customized care services. They conduct daily safety checks via phone and in-person visits during adverse weather conditions such as heatwave warnings or heavy rain advisories.

However, on the ground, there are criticisms that these welfare checks are mostly conducted by phone in a perfunctory manner. Many view these measures as insufficient, expressing skepticism about their effectiveness. In reality, there is a lack of dedicated personnel, budget, and actual operating entities needed to implement these services, leading to the assessment that these are merely "policies on paper."

An official from a senior center in Haenam-eup stated, "Residents do not know who is eligible for the service or when and based on what criteria they can receive it," adding, "Even when we call, we often cannot get through, so seniors either go by themselves or simply give up."

The problem does not stop at the county office. Some hospitals in Haenam County have said, "When elderly patients come alone, communication is difficult, making treatment challenging," and effectively require the presence of a guardian. Seniors without family or a care worker to assist them often cannot even cross the threshold of a hospital.

In July, an elderly man in his 80s was found dead while working in a field in Gyeokok-myeon. Although emergency responders were dispatched, he was already deceased by the time he was found. While heatstroke was suspected due to the intense heat, the medical institution concluded that the cause of death could not be determined. Many seniors in their 80s and 90s who use senior centers live alone, and some of them frequently give up on seeking medical care due to psychological anxiety and health issues because they lack a guardian.

On September 3, the 346th temporary session of the Haenam County Council passed an ordinance bill to support hospital accompaniment services for seniors living alone in Haenam County. The ordinance allows for up to eight hours per day of accompaniment service when seniors receive medical treatment.

County council member Lee Kiwoo stated, "Following the enactment of the ordinance, we plan to allocate the necessary budget and establish an operational plan," adding, "We aim to fully implement the service next year." He warned, "Unlike regions like Seoul or Gwangju, where private accompaniment services are available, in areas like Haenam, where both transportation and manpower are lacking, the local government must directly operate these services, or else such declarations are meaningless. Without addressing the care gap, solitary deaths among seniors will inevitably continue to occur."

Experts unanimously agree that in rural areas with severe aging, it is urgent to ensure the public nature of hospital accompaniment systems. They emphasize that if Haenam County truly wants to protect the lives of elderly people living alone, it must not stop at passing ordinances but must immediately allocate a budget, secure dedicated personnel, and begin providing substantive services.