As of 2016 1.38 million older Koreans living alone
South Korea was once a country where taking care of your parents was a norm. Modern day South Korea has grown economically richer, but family ties have fragmented. Like any other country, the number of seniors are increasing. In the last 10 years, the number of seniors has doubled. A lot of these men and women live on their own and fear dying alone.
A telecom giant KT has come up with a way to address this growing problem. In South Korea 98% of elderly living alone have a TV and the first thing they do when they get up in the morning is turn on their TV.
Agency Cheil Worldwide developed the “Life Saving TV”, this device automatically sends a text message to the mobile phone of a caregiver or relative after the elderly person turns on their TV. If there is no TV activity after 24 hours, another text message is send, alerting a social worker and they can call or visit. The project was first launched in Seoul, according to Cheil and KT Life Saving TV has resulted in a 125% increase in visits by social workers to the elderly in their charge, a 300% increase in texts from social workers, and a 400% increase in calls to the elderly from social workers and caregivers. Now Life Saving TV is saving lives all over South Korea.
The program was not only created to help them in their daily lives, but also to raise public awareness of this social issue. The South Korean government tries to help, but resources are limited. The nation’s welfare spending is shockingly low for an economically developing country. With a service that sends a caretaker to visit the home of elderly people living alone at least once a week, the government attempts to help the struggling older generation.
Whilst this solution is very innovative and helpful, it does however not address one of the biggest challenges of the elderly. What’s most important about elderly welfare is to prevent them from feeling lonely.
At CareChamp we provide Companion Champs, to simply be a confidant and friend to the client. Our Companion Champs usually spend a couple of hours per week with the client, motivate and intellectually stimulate an elderly and can help manage the household where required.