Jangsu County Launches Full-Scale "Integrated Medical and Nursing Care" Initiative

Jangsu County is actively promoting the "Integrated Medical and Nursing Care Project," which combines housing and care in a super-aged society to accelerate the realization of customized welfare. Photo by Jangsu County

Jangsu County is vigorously advancing the "Integrated Medical and Nursing Care Project," which combines housing and caregiving to address the challenges of a super-aged society, thereby accelerating the realization of customized welfare.

Jangsu County is moving away from the conventional approach of providing medical care, nursing, and caregiving services separately. Instead, it is focusing on establishing a community-based integrated support system so that residents can receive necessary services within their familiar living environments.

The core of this project is to enable elderly individuals to receive both medical and caregiving services within their own communities, rather than having to relocate to hospitals or nursing facilities.

Since last year, Jangsu County has been operating a pilot integrated care program. The county has taken preemptive steps such as enacting relevant ordinances, forming dedicated teams, establishing an integrated care council, and signing agreements with medical institutions.

With the full-scale implementation of the integrated care project, Jangsu County has expanded its scope to include not only seniors aged 65 and older who need care due to frailty, illness, or disability, but also individuals under 65 with severe disabilities. The county is building local specialty programs tailored to community needs and providing demand-oriented, rather than supply-oriented, caregiving services.

Accordingly, the county aims for "Jangsu, where care is a part of daily life," and plans to support comprehensive care services in various areas, including home-visit healthcare, daily care to bridge care gaps, and improvements to living spaces.

In the healthcare sector, public health centers and local medical institutions will collaborate to offer home-visit medical services, operate long-term care home medical centers, and connect discharged patients with community resources. The focus will shift from hospital- and facility-centered care to home-based and preventive healthcare services.

Jangsu County will also expand daily caregiving services that support everyday life in addition to medical assistance. Customized services will be provided for those in need, such as hospital accompaniment for seniors with mobility difficulties, housekeeping support, meal delivery, and joint caregiving programs for elderly people living alone.

Furthermore, the county supports small-scale home improvements, such as installing safety grab bars, providing non-slip mats, and removing thresholds, as well as offering minor repair services to ensure a safe and comfortable living environment.

Applicants wishing to receive integrated care in Jangsu County can visit the welfare teams that provide outreach services in each town or township. Eligibility is determined through preliminary assessments and comprehensive support meetings.

This integrated care policy has been piloted nationwide since last year and will be institutionalized and expanded starting from March 27, 2026.

Based on the experience accumulated during the pilot program, Jangsu County plans to further develop its policies by implementing prevention-oriented health management, introducing AI-based health monitoring, expanding community participation, and building an integrated platform that links housing, healthcare, and caregiving services.

Choi Hoon-sik, Governor of Jangsu County, stated, "Integrated care moves away from uniform welfare services to provide truly necessary, customized care so that people can continue to live happily where they have always resided. The key is to enhance quality of life. As the system grows, administration may become more complex, but what matters most is our principle of being 'people-centered,' and we will do our utmost to care for our residents."

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