Older residents of Seoul who found it hard to visit senior centers during the day will now be able to enjoy films, yoga and literature programs in the evening.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on the 13th that it is running a pilot program through December that extends weekday operating hours at five senior welfare centers to as late as 9 p.m. for people aged 60 and over. The participating institutions are the Gangseo, Gwangjin, Nowon and Seongbuk senior welfare centers and the Seoul Senior Welfare Center, which will offer a range of leisure programs at night to support social activity and interaction among neighbors.
The Gangseo Senior Welfare Center will offer classic film screenings, exercise classes using props and a sleep improvement program. The Seoul Senior Welfare Center has prepared reading sessions and literature programs. The Seongbuk Senior Welfare Center will provide foot massages and table tennis and fitness facilities, while the Nowon Senior Welfare Center will run yoga, English conversation and craft groups. At the Gwangjin Senior Welfare Center, participants can join yoga classes and self-help groups. Detailed schedules and application procedures are available at each center.
The city plans to support the evening programs so that they lead to the formation of social networks among older residents and to "senior-to-senior mutual care," in which participants check on one another's well-being. Based on the results of the pilot run, the city will gradually increase the number of participating centers.
Evening programs for resident education and care for children and adolescents are already running at 97 community welfare centers in Seoul. The city plans to expand that to 100 centers next year.
"We will expand evening operations at welfare centers so that older residents who cannot find time during the day can also access leisure activities and care in the evening," said Jung Jin-woo, head of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's welfare office.