Hope Bridge Conducts Disaster Safety Experience Training for the Elderly at Hongpa Nursing Home

Hope Bridge is conducting disaster safety experience education for the elderly at Hongpa Nursing Home, a welfare facility for senior citizens. Hope Bridge

Hope Bridge Korea Disaster Relief Association (Chairman Lim Chaecheong) announced on the 27th that it conducted a "Disaster Safety Experience Education for the Elderly" at Hongpa Nursing Home, a senior welfare facility located in Sanggye-dong, Nowon-gu, targeting around 30 elderly residents and facility staff members.

As disaster damage is increasing due to the current climate crisis, South Korea has entered a super-aged society, with people aged 65 and older now accounting for over 20% of the total population. In response to these changes, Hope Bridge developed the "Disaster Safety Education Program for the Elderly" last June, reflecting the Korean disaster environment to address the challenges of an aging society.

This training session served as a real-world application of the program, structured around hands-on experiences that take into account the physical and cognitive characteristics of the elderly. A key feature is that both the elderly residents and support staff participated together, ensuring that everyone can respond in the event of a disaster.

The training covered disaster types to which the elderly are particularly vulnerable, including heatwave response, fire safety, daily life safety, crowd management, and first aid. The three-hour session was conducted in an experiential format. For elderly participants with mobility difficulties, indirect participation was facilitated through staff training, ensuring a safe learning environment.

One elderly participant said, "As I got older, I thought it would be hard to escape disasters, but the instructions were easy to follow. I feel like I could act a bit more calmly even if an emergency occurs."

Shin Hoon, Secretary-General of Hope Bridge, stated, "Disasters pose even greater risks to the elderly. It is important for both the elderly and support staff to develop response capabilities together. I hope this experience-based training will help create safer lives."

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