Incheon's Jemulpo-gu District (Mayor Kim Chan-jin) has revealed that its integrated care meal support program is functioning not merely as a means of delivering food but as a care safety net that protects the lives of residents in crisis.
 [The Korean Today] Jemulpo-gu District integrated care meal support activity © Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
According to the district, a worker who recently visited a beneficiary's home to deliver a meal found an 89-year-old recipient collapsed and bleeding inside the house. The worker immediately called 119, and the recipient was taken to the hospital, narrowly averting a major crisis. The district explained that had the elderly recipient not been receiving regular meal support visits, the discovery could have come too late, potentially leading to a far more serious outcome.
Such an outcome was possible because the integrated care meal support program was designed from the outset to combine meal delivery with welfare checks. According to the district, as meal support staff make regular visits to recipients' homes, they naturally come to observe the recipients' health and safety, which has proven effective in detecting cases of isolation or emergencies at an early stage.
The meal support method is not one-size-fits-all. Rather than providing the same boxed meal to every recipient, the program offers diabetic meals, soft or liquid diets and other options tailored to individual health conditions, allowing residents with chronic illnesses or chewing and swallowing difficulties to use the service without concern.
Integrated care recipients can also access a range of other services tailored to their individual circumstances and needs, including household support, transportation assistance, in-home bathing, hairdressing and grooming, and housing environment improvements, in addition to meal support. The district said it identifies the needs of each individual recipient and connects them with the necessary services to help them maintain a stable daily life.
“Meal support is more than just a meal — it is valuable care that protects residents' safety and lives,” said Jemulpo-gu District Mayor Kim Chan-jin. “We will continue to closely coordinate customized services for recipients so that no one falls through the cracks of care.”
Residents who wish to use integrated care services can inquire at their local administrative welfare center or the Jemulpo-gu District Integrated Care Team (032-770-6672~3) for guidance.
[ Reporter Kim Mi-hee: incheonsouth@thekoreantoday.com ]
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