[Report] "Learning Cooking, Exercising... I Enjoy Socializing with People" [Elderly Heart Connection]

"When I am alone at home, I don't talk. I never realized how precious it is to be able to have conversations with people."

Elderly participants are attending a cooking class at Jungwon Senior Welfare Center in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province. Provided by the Life Insurance Social Contribution Foundation.

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On the 31st of last month, I met Jeong Sinmun (80) at the Jungwon Senior Welfare Center in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do. He said, "At first, it was fine, but about 4 to 5 years after retirement, I became lazy. Since my friends are all in poor health, it's hard to meet them, and we gradually drift apart. Here, I make new friends and have many good conversations with the teachers. I am rediscovering the value of life that I had forgotten. These days, I am into woodworking and have displayed my work at home; it is rewarding and fun."

The highly praised "Saengmyeongsoop 100-Year Healing Center" is operated at 15 welfare centers nationwide, with a cumulative total of 4,577 program participants. This program supports daily living independence, social skills enhancement, and health promotion for elderly men living alone. A representative from the Life Insurance Social Contribution Foundation stated, "Male seniors tend to be relatively passive in social activities such as welfare center programs. Living alone without interaction with others can easily lead to depression and disorganized daily life. We plan to continue developing projects so that seniors can enjoy a more vibrant senior life."

That morning at the welfare center, tablet PC-based face-to-face and non-face-to-face integrated cognitive training and cooking classes were held. The cognitive training involved solving problems such as finding matching pictures, identifying rules, and remembering shapes. Participants could set the difficulty level (1 to 6), number of questions (5 to 20), and time limit (10 to 60 seconds) according to their ability. One participant said, "This is too difficult," and asked for help. On-site social workers kindly explained how to solve the problems. When the correct answer was finally given, a "Well done" message appeared, and the senior smiled and said, "Okay."

Elderly participants are engaged in cognitive training at Jungwon Senior Welfare Center in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi Province. Provided by Life Insurance Social Contribution Foundation

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Cooking classes are the most popular program among male seniors. Since many have never cooked before, the lessons are immediately useful for daily life. The instructor said, "Today we will make mushroom bulgogi. We will start by removing the blood from the meat. Should we use hot water or cold water?" The seniors answered, "Cold water." The instructor praised them, saying, "That's right," and led the class. The recipe was designed to be as low in salt as possible for health reasons. Helpers were present throughout to assist those who were unskilled with knife skills. Students communicated with the instructor, saying things like, "I learned a lot here," and "Is this the right way to do it?" and enjoyed cooking. Social worker Kim Hyojeong explained, "At first, I thought the cooking class was popular simply because they could make food to take home. But the seniors felt proud of learning something new."

Here, seniors can also participate in various sports programs such as sandbag games, pocket billiards, yoga, core exercises, and stretching. Lee Jaeman (78) said, "Coming to the welfare center and doing physical activities like billiards and table tennis is good. Having friends of the same age means we can talk about many things and never get bored." Kim Yongbae (75) smiled and said, "I look forward to the program time every day. After retirement, I felt down and lonely, but coming to the welfare center and socializing with many people makes me happy."

The Jungwon Senior Welfare Center regards seniors not as care recipients but as active agents. They are seen as senior citizens who, based on their wisdom and experience, care for the community and younger citizens. In fact, through various club activities, the center contributes to enhancing seniors' self-efficacy and building networks. Social worker Jeon Suhee said, "The concept of senior citizens is not just about receiving support but about participating in the community and being able to do something. In Seongnam City, there was a fine dust reduction contest where seniors engaged in discussions and policy proposals, and they also made suggestions for neighborhood sports facilities and pedestrian safety."

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