Health ministry opens pilot program to train homebound seniors in daily tasks

The health ministry said it will recruit home-visit medical centers from Nov. 2 to Nov. 20 for a pilot program that sends physical and occupational therapists into the homes of frail elderly people to help them perform everyday tasks on their own, paying 70,000 won ($52) for each visit.

Under the long-term care home reablement pilot, therapists will provide short, intensive training aimed at letting recipients get out of bed, use the toilet and move around their own living space without help, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said.

The service targets long-term care recipients who receive care at home and whose doctor at a home-visit medical center has judged them to need reablement training after seeing a decline in functions such as transferring from a bed, using the toilet, walking indoors or going outside.

Therapists will coach clients through daily-living movements such as dressing and walking, basic physical training such as lower-limb strength and balance exercises, and adjustments to the home environment, including placing the toilet within close reach or switching to clothes with elastic waistbands. In one example given by the ministry, the goal is helping a person reach the toilet safely and on time to reduce incontinence, through activities such as recognizing the urge to urinate, moving to the bathroom, lowering clothing and holding the posture.

Clinics, hospitals, local medical centers, public health centers, public health branches and public health and medical centers run as dedicated home-visit medical centers can apply. Applicants must hire at least one full-time physical or occupational therapist in addition to their existing home-care team of a doctor, nurse and social worker.

Participating institutions must provide at least 40 minutes of training per visit. Recipients can use up to 10 sessions a month for 120 consecutive days from the start of service, and pay a share of the cost according to the long-term care copayment rate. For a general recipient with a 15 percent copayment rate, that comes to 10,500 won ($8) per visit.

Applications must be submitted through the city, county or district government or public health center to the National Health Insurance Service by 6 p.m. on Nov. 20. The ministry will designate participating institutions late this month, with the pilot beginning in early December.

"Through this pilot program, I hope long-term care seniors will go beyond receiving care to performing daily activities on their own and living independently," Choi Bong-geun, the ministry's director-general for senior policy, said. "I ask capable institutions to take an active part so that seniors can spend a healthy old age where they live."