At 7am in the morning, a little earlier than most others, Ms. Park Mi-hwa starts her day as a care helper at Namyangju Veterans’ Nursing Home. As soon as she gets to work, she makes breakfast for the elderly in the nursing home, and busily gets to work as she cleans the hospital rooms, changes diapers, gives snacks and lunch, does physical therapy, gives baths, and cleans the bathroom and more.
She takes care of 14 seniors a day, of which 8 are severely ill. Most of the seniors are in wheelchairs and have difficulty moving, so helping with their bowel movements and baths are the most physically demanding times. There are 3 co-workers, with a total of 5 staff including the chief and second chief, who take care of 41 seniors a day.