Shin Sang-jin, the mayor of Seongnam, is working on concrete plans for a 'Seongnam-style home end-of-life care' system by visiting advanced home healthcare and care facilities in Japan.
On August 24, Mayor Shin and his delegation visited Aikoen and Kawana Hospital, which operate community-based care and patient-centered end-of-life care in Japan.
This visit aimed to observe how Japan, which has experienced an ultra-aging society earlier than South Korea, implements home healthcare and community-centered care systems, and to find ways to adapt these practices to Seongnam's context.
Mayor Shin examined the implementation of Advance Care Planning (ACP), where patients discuss their future treatment and care plans with medical staff and family members in advance.
He also focused on the community care system that ensures patients receive continuous medical and caregiving support at home through home visits and multidisciplinary collaboration among healthcare and caregiving personnel.
In particular, he assessed the roles and coordination methods of local caregivers, including healthcare institutions and care managers, and explored ways to connect Seongnam's contracted medical institutions with local caregiving resources.
Following this, Mayor Shin held a policy meeting with Niki Ryu, an expert in Japan's healthcare policy and community care, to discuss the development direction of Seongnam's home end-of-life care and institutional challenges for establishing a stable home healthcare and caregiving system.
Professor Niki Ryu stated, "The 'home end-of-life care' initiative promoted by Seongnam can become an advanced policy independently pursued by local governments. It is crucial to build a network that encourages the entire community to participate voluntarily."
Mayor Shin aims to not only adopt Japan's practices but also develop a local model that fits Seongnam's healthcare and welfare conditions and the needs of its citizens.
He plans to incorporate the Advance Care Planning and home healthcare practices observed during the visit, along with expert recommendations, into the 'Seongnam-style home end-of-life care' to strengthen the local home healthcare support network.
Additionally, he intends to improve procedural and institutional difficulties encountered during the home end-of-life process, allowing citizens to conclude their lives in familiar surroundings if they wish. He will also review necessary institutional improvements, such as reflecting these changes in health insurance policies, and propose them to the central government.
The local community supports Mayor Shin's benchmarking in Japan, emphasizing the need for a home healthcare system that allows citizens to prepare for the end of life with family in familiar surroundings, rather than relying solely on hospital or facility-centered care.
There is a growing call for a connected network of home visits, nursing, and welfare services to reduce the medical and caregiving burden on the elderly and their families.
Citizens emphasize the importance of not only having "good healthcare" but also the ability to prepare for the end of life in a preferred environment and manner.
One citizen remarked, "As I age, I prefer to spend time at home with my family rather than going to the hospital. I hope the city refines the Japanese model to fit the realities of Seongnam citizens, creating a system where everyone can receive necessary medical and caregiving support at home."
Another citizen added, "End-of-life care should not be solely the responsibility of individuals and families; the community must share this responsibility. It is essential that home healthcare, nursing, and welfare services operate as a unified system."
Mayor Shin's visit aims to ensure that 'Seongnam-style home end-of-life care' evolves from a declarative welfare policy into a functioning local system in the healthcare and caregiving sectors.
Mayor Shin stated, "I was able to directly observe how Japan's home healthcare and community care operate, having experienced an ultra-aging society before us, and explore various ways to apply these practices in Seongnam."
He emphasized, "By reflecting on excellent cases and expert recommendations, we will create a 'Seongnam-style home end-of-life care' that allows citizens to receive medical and caregiving support in their homes until the end."
Meanwhile, Mayor Shin plans to accelerate the establishment of a Seongnam-style end-of-life care system that enables citizens to maintain a dignified life at home until the end, strengthening the connection between home healthcare and caregiving services.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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