Suwon Establishes 'Death Alone Prevention Task Force'

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Jung Jun-sung] Suwon Special City has established a 'Death Alone Prevention Task Force' and is rolling up its sleeves to prevent and manage deaths from solitude.

On the 8th, the city held an operational meeting of the Death Alone Prevention Task Force, chaired by First Vice Mayor Kim Hyun-soo at the city government situation room, and discussed inter-departmental collaboration methods for advancing death alone prevention initiatives.

The Death Alone Prevention Task Force is composed of 11 departments including the Care Policy Division and Welfare Policy Division, with director Kim In-bae, head of the Welfare and Women's Division, along with 4 district health centers. The support unit comprises 4 district social welfare divisions, 44 dong administrative welfare centers, welfare centers, and mental health support centers.

With the goals of 'establishing a system to prevent isolation and loneliness' and 'realizing a mutual care society with citizen participation,' the city is pursuing 4 strategies and 45 tasks across 19 departments: △identifying individuals at risk of death from solitude and assessing the level of risk △strengthening connections to resolve social isolation △linking and supporting services by life cycle △establishing a foundation for death alone prevention management policy.

Key initiatives include △identifying high-risk groups for death alone using personal safety networks △creating community spaces that promote connections among local residents △providing integrated care support by life cycle △providing emotional and employment support for at-risk youth △improving laws, systems, and raising awareness on death alone prevention.

According to a survey conducted in February by the Suwon City Policy Research Institute on 1,305 citizen panel members titled 'A Survey on Suwon Citizens' Loneliness and Social Isolation,' vulnerable groups facing social isolation were men, elderly people, and single-person households. Among respondents, 39.2% reported feeling loneliness, and 6.2% were found to be socially isolated.

Based on the survey results, the city is operating the '2024 Death Alone Prevention Pilot Project.' From June to July, it conducted field surveys targeting approximately 4,300 middle-aged and lower-income vulnerable groups at risk of death alone. The city is implementing △an IoT-based check-in service called 'Saebit Anbu Ddoktdok' △Suwon Saebit Care meal support service △Saebit relationship network program △a death alone personal belongings cleanup support project that honors the deceased and helps community residents recover their daily lives quickly.

First Vice Mayor Kim Hyun-soo stated, "Social isolation and death from solitude is not an individual problem but a social one," and added, "To conduct systematic and sustainable death alone prevention activities, each department's projects must be organically and tightly linked." He further urged, "Let each department work closely together to create tangible change in death alone prevention."