Shin Sang-jin, the mayor of Seongnam, is taking charge of a new initiative aimed at providing end-of-life care in the comfort of citizens' homes, ensuring they can maintain their dignity until their final moments.
On September 30, Mayor Shin launched the 'Home-Based End-of-Life Care Promotion Team,' which includes participation from three health centers in Sujeong, Jungwon, and Bundang districts, Seongnam Medical Center, and relevant welfare departments. The first meeting was held to discuss the initiative.
Mayor Shin will personally lead the promotion team.
During the meeting, he emphasized the need to establish an integrated support system that encompasses everything from identifying eligible participants to home healthcare, caregiving, hospice support, and assistance for bereaved families.
The core of this initiative is to move away from the traditional model of providing health, medical, and welfare services separately to end-of-life citizens, instead linking necessary services into a cohesive system.
In particular, Mayor Shin plans to enhance the home healthcare center operated by Seongnam Medical Center, aiming to establish a 'public home visit system' where medical professionals visit the homes of citizens with mobility challenges.
Through this public home visit system, healthcare providers will visit homes to offer medical consultations, monitor health conditions, and ensure quick referrals to medical facilities if health deteriorates.
Currently, six healthcare professionals, including one doctor and one nurse at each of the three district health centers, are conducting home visits.
Mayor Shin intends to add more visiting doctors at Seongnam Medical Center to expand the public home visit services.
Additionally, Mayor Shin announced plans to enhance support to reduce gaps in caregiving services.
To address the unmet demand for end-of-life care that cannot be satisfied by the current long-term care insurance home visit services, he is reviewing additional caregiving and nursing support measures and plans to expand assistance for caregivers.
The goal is to allow end-of-life citizens to live in their homes for as long as possible while alleviating the caregiving burden on their families.
To ensure objectivity and professionalism in the initiative, a 'End-of-Life Care Assessment Committee' will be established, comprising experts in healthcare, medicine, and welfare.
The committee will comprehensively review the health status and caregiving needs of participants, as well as the caregiving conditions of their families, to select approximately 100 individuals for the pilot program.
Selected participants will receive a range of services tailored to their individual circumstances, including home healthcare, visiting nursing, additional caregiving, welfare services, and hospice support.
Citizens are hopeful about the launch of the 'Home-Based End-of-Life Care' promotion team, as it promises necessary medical and caregiving services in the comfort of their own homes.
This initiative is particularly significant for elderly individuals with mobility issues and families of end-of-life patients, who will benefit from the integration of home visits and caregiving services.
Mayor Shin Sang-jin stated, "Where and how citizens spend their final moments is a crucial issue directly related to their quality of life and dignity."
He added, "We will create a robust support system unique to Seongnam, allowing citizens in need of medical and caregiving services to live comfortably in their familiar homes."
Moving forward, Mayor Shin plans to clarify the roles of health centers, Seongnam Medical Center, and relevant departments through the promotion team, and will proceed with subsequent steps such as forming the End-of-Life Care Assessment Committee and selecting pilot program participants.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.