▲Grandmother Choi Sunrae is doing leg exercises with a 'Health Leader' who visited her home in Sosabon-dong, Bucheon City, on December 26 last year. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

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Choi Seonrae (89), who lives in a residential area on Eunseong-ro, Sosa-gu, Bucheon, stood up with strength in her legs and then sat back down. "Oh, this is hard." "Just two more times. Young-cha!" The person encouraging her is her neighbor and local community leader, Seo Bomi (42). Seo visits Ms. Choi's house once a week as a 'health care leader.'

▲Grandmother Choi Sunrae is exercising with a health leader who visited her home in Sosabon-dong, Bucheon City, on December 26 last year. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

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"Ma'am, now it's time for cycling. Stretch your legs a bit more and pedal with energy." Ms. Choi struggled to lift her stiff legs and moved them as if pedaling.

The health care leader program is a system created by Bucheon, a pilot area for integrated care, to serve as a social safety net where residents care for each other. Any Bucheon citizen interested in the health and care of elderly neighbors can apply. Once selected, they receive 20 hours of care training and visit local seniors' homes to exercise together. The doctor determines in advance what kind of exercise is needed.

Grandmother Choi Sunrae, a health care recipient, is receiving a massage from a health leader who visited her home in Sosabon-dong, Bucheon City on the 7th. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

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Kim Ahyoung, a care integration team official in Bucheon, explained, "A doctor first visits the seniors' homes to determine what exercises are needed. The health leader then helps with those exercises." Since Ms. Choi fell last autumn, she has stopped visiting the nursing home and spends all day at home. As a result, she was diagnosed as urgently needing leg exercises.

Every time Seo visits Ms. Choi's home, she fills the 30-minute care plan. She measures blood pressure and blood sugar, and loosens Ms. Choi's legs with a massage gun. This is the warm-up before leg exercises.

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"When the exercises are done, I give her an aromatherapy hand massage as a way of saying 'thank you for your effort.'" As Seo took oil out of her bag, Ms. Choi offered her wrinkled hands and said, "I'm living in such luxury these days."

Currently, there are 20 Bucheon citizens participating as health care leaders. They visit the homes of 80 elderly people living alone each week. The care period is six months, and the activity fee is 9,000 won per household. In reality, it is voluntary service.

▲Grandmother Choi Sunrae is receiving a hand massage from a 'Health Leader' who visited her home in Sosabon-dong, Bucheon City on December 26 last year. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

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Seniors receiving care services do not pay any fees. Since the program began in 2019, it has been funded by the Bucheon city budget. Kim said, "We select recipients based on need for care, not financial status. Most are basic livelihood security recipients or low-income seniors living alone."

As Seo was about to leave, the old aluminum front door creaked open. Two elderly women from the next door poked their heads in. "Is the exercise over?" Ms. Choi took three Vegemil drinks from the fridge, put one in Seo's bag, and handed one each to the other women.

▲Grandmother Choi Sunrae is receiving a massage from a health leader who visited her home in Sosabon-dong, Bucheon City, on December 26 last year. Photo by Kang Jinhyung

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"I have no family. I divorced early and have no children. I had five siblings, but they all died of cancer." Ms. Choi lost all her assets taking care of her sick family. Ten years ago, she moved to her current neighborhood and settled down. Since then, she has made friends who are like family.

"Every winter, all the grandmothers gather at my house. The floor here is really warm. If I ever have to go to a nursing home, the other grandmothers will have nowhere to go. That's why I need to stay healthy. I'm working hard on my leg exercises, so maybe by spring I'll be able to walk around the neighborhood with a cane."

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