Public laundromat becomes another anchor for elderly care and welfare services
Taebaek announced Saturday that it has built a system to provide laundry services to elderly residents through its public laundromat while also extending care and welfare services through the same facility.
The city is expanding user-centered, tailored care services for elderly laundromat users by conducting regular welfare check-ins and lifestyle assessments to prevent gaps in welfare coverage and connect residents with the services they need.
The public laundromat runs a "welfare call service" targeting applicants who have not used the facility for three months or more. Rather than simply checking whether residents are still using the service, staff also look into their health conditions and living situations in an effort to identify crises early.
The No. 1 public laundromat, known as Boardmi, conducted welfare check-ins on 631 of its 980 registered applicants who had no usage record for three months or more, over a 40-day period from April 20 to May 30.
Staff used contact information collected at registration and attempted to reach each person by phone up to three times. When contact could not be made, they followed up with home visits and checks through neighborhood administrative welfare centers and senior community centers.
Of those contacted, 549 said they wished to continue using the laundromat. A follow-up investigation of the 82 unconfirmed cases found that 31 had been admitted to hospitals or care facilities, 10 had stopped using the service, 10 had moved out of the area, 30 had died, and 1 had been registered twice.
The investigation allowed the city to systematically update its user records while also achieving the broader goal of preventing gaps in welfare coverage.
The No. 2 public laundromat, known as Pogni, conducted a total of 614 welfare calls and satisfaction surveys between Feb. 1 and May 30 as part of its close user management efforts.
Staff listened to users' complaints and suggestions to improve service quality and checked for health issues or extended absences, providing tailored, user-centered care in the process.
Taebaek said it plans to continue updating user records, systematize its welfare call service, and actively operate the public laundromat as a community welfare hub connecting residents with local care and welfare services.
abc@heraldcorp.com
