The Korean Home Healthcare Association (KHHCA), led by President Lee Geon-se, held the ‘2024 Fall Symposium’ at the Samjung Hotel in Seoul on Nov. 17, discussing integrated solutions for elderly care.
With the theme ‘Is Korean-style Home Healthcare on the Right Track?’, the symposium attracted over 150 attendees, the largest turnout since the association’s inception, focusing on the direction and challenges of home healthcare in preparation for an super-aged society.
Officials from the government and public institutions, experts from the medical and academic fields, as well as a significant number of residents and students from medical and nursing schools, were present, drawing attention.
The morning session focused on the topic ‘Changes in National Policy: The Care Integration Support Act and the Nursing Act,’ highlighting the impacts of these legislative changes on home healthcare.
Kim Jae-young, a lawyer from Gangnam Law Firm, examined the significance and limitations of the two laws from a legal perspective. He noted, “The Care Integration Support Act represents significant progress by establishing community-based public care services in preparation for a super-aged society,” pointing out the lack of funding solutions and detailed implementation regulations. He also mentioned practical obstacles in the execution process regarding personal information issues.
Following this, Yoon Jong-ryul, an emeritus professor at Hallym University College of Medicine, highlighted that “the increase in elderly medical expenses is not caused by aging but by a segmented healthcare system based on diseases,” emphasizing the need for multidisciplinary cooperation and integrated care to prevent frailty and effectively manage chronic diseases.
He suggested transforming the current home healthcare services, which are divided into health insurance, long-term care, and budget projects, into a unified care system by enhancing Home Healthcare Centers as the core.
Park Young-ran, president of the Korean Nurses Association, evaluated, “The Nursing Act is an important institutional foundation for activating home nursing in a super-aged society, establishing a community nursing and care system and supporting sustainable activities for nurses.” She proposed the establishment of a ‘Community Integrated Visiting Nursing Center’ to provide user-centered visiting nursing services in a one-stop manner.
During the luncheon session, digital healthcare case studies were presented. Lee Jae-hyun, CEO of Jibro Clinic, introduced a real-time monitoring and anomaly detection system utilizing digital twin technology, while Kim Joo-hyung, director of Home Clinic, shared examples of improving efficiency in home visits through the digital platform app ‘Zbro’.
In a special session, Professor Park Gun-woo of Korea University College of Medicine (chairman of the association) presented a treatment manual for dementia patients, while Lee Sang-beom of Seoul Shinnae Clinic presented a treatment manual for Parkinson’s disease patients. Professor Park stated, “At the association level, we plan to establish and continuously improve home healthcare guidelines by specialty.”
In the afternoon session, experts from the visiting healthcare and nursing field discussed integrated care strategies centered around the recipients. Presenters, including Labor Hoon, director of Happy Seat Clinic, Lee Yoon-kyung, director at Bayada Home Healthcare, Kang Heon-dae, director of Dandelion Care Clinic, and Lee Min-ah, representative of Seoul Comprehensive Nursing and Care Center, presented obstacles and practical improvement measures for integrated care observed in the field.
Lee Geon-se, president of the Korean Home Healthcare Association, stated, “Everyone agrees on the necessity of integrated care, but to realize it, we must overcome legal and institutional gaps as well as the lack of awareness among workers,” and added, “The association will lead the way in institutional improvements, education, certification, and developing fees by reflecting the voices from the field.”