Paju City Selected as a “National Outstanding Institution” for Customized Elderly Care Services

Proactive Response to the 2026 Care System Reform
Continuous Enhancement of the City’s Comprehensive Elderly Care Policies

Paju City in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 17th that Paju Silver Sarangchae, the city’s designated provider of customized elderly care services, was selected as an outstanding institution in the nationwide pilot project for the “2025 Comprehensive Evaluation of Customized Elderly Care Services” conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Paju City Hall view. Provided by Paju City

This evaluation targeted 60 service providers across the country that have operated customized elderly care services for more than three years, comprehensively verifying areas such as operational management, quality of service delivery, case management expertise, and on-site response capabilities.

Paju Silver Sarangchae received high marks and was selected as an outstanding institution for its customized case management based on health and care needs, its system for training and managing life support workers, and its collaboration with local welfare and medical institutions. Only five cities or counties in Gyeonggi Province were selected as outstanding institutions, demonstrating that Paju City’s care policies are recognized nationwide.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has announced plans to restructure customized elderly care services from 2026, dividing them into general, intensive, and post-discharge patient groups, and to introduce a new short-term intensive care service for approximately 10,000 discharged patients nationwide. The ministry will also expand the number of service areas from four to five and adjust the number of clients assigned to each dedicated social worker, signaling overall changes to the service delivery system.

To proactively respond to these changes, Paju City plans to establish a close cooperation system with service providers and actively submit various opinions reflecting local characteristics to the central government. The city will also further strengthen connections with medical, welfare, and care institutions to build a foundation for supporting discharged patients, enhance the system for identifying key and high-risk individuals, and systematically prepare policies that prioritize the safety and daily recovery of local seniors.

Woo Eunjeong, Head of the Senior and Disabled Persons Division of Paju City, stated, “The selection of Paju Silver Sarangchae as an outstanding institution is the result of our city’s continuous efforts to build a comprehensive, field-centered care system. Ahead of the 2026 system reform, we will expand customized welfare services and create a welfare city without care blind spots, ensuring that seniors are respected and can enjoy a happy later life.”

Paju City will continue to proactively address the increasing elderly population and the growing complexity of care needs, and will strengthen the region-based integrated care system by linking various senior welfare programs.

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