Weekly Wednesday Egg Deliveries Double as Wellness Checks as Hwasu 1 and Hwapyeong-dong Move to Prevent Lonely Deaths

Hwasu 1 and Hwapyeong-dong (Head Kang Kyung-hee) in Jemulpo-gu District, Incheon, is running the ‘Eggs Are Here, Health Is Here!’ program with hy’s Dongincheon branch. From October through December this year, every Wednesday, workers will visit households at risk of dying alone, deliver eggs and check on residents. The program serves as a local social safety net that combines nutritional support with monitoring of vulnerable households.

[The Korean Today] ‘Eggs Are Here, Health Is Here!’ program run by Hwasu 1 and Hwapyeong-dong, Jemulpo-gu © Reporter Kim Mi-hee

The program covers 10 households at risk of lonely death, including middle-aged single-person households and seniors living alone. People who live alone tend to skip meals or eat whatever is at hand, which can leave them short on protein. The regular egg deliveries are intended to fill this nutritional gap.

The regular visits are the more important part. Having someone knock on the door and check in on the same day every week can help spot early warning signs in isolated households. The community service center expects the program to help prevent lonely deaths and to help recipients maintain a balanced diet.

The deliveries are carried out by Korea Yakult Fresh Managers. The community service center appointed them as honorary social welfare officials so they can immediately report any crisis they discover during deliveries. The arrangement brings private-sector workers who move through residential areas every day into the welfare monitoring network.

The program also extends protection beyond the participating households. If Fresh Managers come across other households along their routes that appear to need help, they are to notify the administrative welfare center immediately so support can follow. The setup forms a community protection system that reaches places administrative staff alone would find hard to cover.

The program is funded by the local social security council’s fund. It is notable in that a welfare council run jointly by residents and local organizations put up its own money to address a local problem.

“This program is all the more meaningful because it was funded by the local social security council’s fund,” said Kang Kyung-hee, head of Hwasu 1 and Hwapyeong-dong. “The public and private sectors will continue to work together on local issues and pursue a variety of welfare programs.”

As the number of single-person households grows, isolation and lonely deaths have become major challenges for local welfare. Attention is on what results this approach, which turns an everyday delivery network into a channel for wellness checks, will produce by the end of the year.

[ Reporter Kim Mi-hee: incheonsouth@thekoreantoday.com ]

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