The Korea Life Insurance Association has created the Senior Life Care Awards to recognize outstanding workers in the nursing and elderly care field, selecting 12 recipients in its inaugural round.
The association said on the 21st that it held the first Life Insurance Senior Life Care Awards ceremony at the Life Insurance Education and Culture Center in Seoul. The award was established this year to boost the pride of workers on the front lines of nursing services and to raise awareness of the value and importance of caregiving, as the industry expands its senior-focused businesses.
A total of 12 people received awards at the ceremony, including care workers and nurses from Samsung Noble Life, Shinhan Life Care and KB Golden Life Care. The association said it selected workers who closely attended to the health conditions and daily needs of older residents and delivered high-quality care services based on expertise and a sense of responsibility.
Park Hyun-sook, a care worker at Samsung Noble County with 13 years of service who spoke on behalf of the recipients, said, "I feel the greatest reward when I see the elderly living comfortably and happily." Park added, "I take this award as encouragement and will continue to do my best in my role at their side, just as I have until now."
The association said it plans to continue identifying and recognizing outstanding care workers through the awards, while supporting the expansion of senior life care in the life insurance industry and improvements in service quality.
Kim Chul-joo, chairman of the association, said, "Good facilities, systems and new technologies all matter, but it is people who complete caregiving." He added, "The unseen dedication of care workers and nurses who quietly stay by the side of the elderly in the field is raising the standard of care in our society."
He also said, "The life insurance industry will expand its role beyond insurance into an industry that helps care for people's later years." He added, "We will broaden the care ecosystem through the training and education of care workers, senior food and age-tech, and play a responsible role in building a sustainable care system in which the public and private sectors work together."
