Hwacheon County in Gangwon Province is strengthening its integrated care system to provide medical, nursing, and living support services to seniors and disabled individuals facing difficulties in daily life.
According to Hwacheon County on September 8, the program targets seniors aged 65 and older and disabled individuals who require comprehensive support. This includes those eligible for long-term care benefits, hospital dischargees, residents transitioning from nursing facilities, individuals in priority groups for senior customized care services, those awaiting long-term care assessments, and elderly individuals with disabilities.
Residents can apply through the customized welfare team in their local township, where a caseworker will visit their homes to assess their health status, living environment, and care needs. Based on this assessment, a personalized support plan will be developed, connecting them to necessary services.
The support areas include four categories: health care, visiting nursing, housing, and living assistance. Services offered include home medical visits, health management, dementia care, visiting nursing and bathing, as well as home environment improvements such as removing thresholds and installing safety bars and anti-slip tiles.
Additional services include household support, meal delivery, hospital accompaniment, laundry, and deep cleaning and disinfection. After services are provided, the living and health status of the recipients will be continuously monitored.
While previous care policies focused on individual services such as health checks and living support, the integrated care approach differs by consolidating fragmented medical, nursing, welfare, and housing services into a single personalized plan.
The integrated care initiative began on March 27, when related legislation was enacted. Under the current administration, the focus is on enhancing collaboration among departments and agencies to establish a local care system.
Kim Se-hoon, the mayor of Hwacheon County, stated, “The key is to connect essential support that was previously provided individually to meet the needs of residents. We will build a robust support system to ensure that residents in need of care can live stably in familiar surroundings.”
* This article has been translated by AI.
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