The Family and Ageing in Korea: A New Concern and Challenge

Abstract

Many changes in familial factors under the influence of modernisation have limited the Korean family's function or capability to support and care for elderly members, and are contributing to the problems of ageing. Ageing as a social problem is a new concern in Korea which has never been experienced before, and a new challenge to the family and the state. It requires the state's responsibility to support elderly people and to strengthen the family in its care function by utilising services provided by non-familial persons. The problems of ageing may be categorised into four types: (1) poverty and economic dependence (2) difficulties in health care (3) absence or ambiguity of appropriate roles within the family (4) psychological conflicts and feelings of alienation. Present social welfare provisions are far from sufficient to respond to ageing in Korean society. Problems associated with current policies are discussed and recommendations for future development are made. Ways of promoting the traditional value of filial piety, which has acted as a barrier to the development of social welfare policy for elderly people in Korea, are suggested. For the value to be upheld and developed as one promoting welfare provision for elderly Koreans, the ways of practising the value could be reconstructed so that they may meet the needs of modern Korean life; practising filial piety at a societal level should be emphasised. The roles and responsibilities between the family and the state are also discussed.

Elder care in Korea: The future is now

“…It is expected to be only 3.0 this year, compared to 5.7 in 1960(National Statistical Office, 1993. Increased numbers of both married and unmarried women are entering the workforce (married 36.9%, unmarried 44.3% in 1970; married 46.4%, unmarried 49.8% in 1993) and becoming more career-oriented than before (Choi, 1996;National Statistic Office, 1993;Yoon and Cha, 1999). These trends inevitably pose a threat to the future of family caregiving.…”

“…As Korean society has become increasingly industrialized, the paradigm is in transition. Once traditional family values are dissipating and the idea of independent living in later life is emerging among the young and the young old (Chee and Levkoff, 1999;Choi, 1996). In particular, middle-aged adults consider their generation as being in transition, in that tl-~ev are committed to support their a~ng parents but do n,~t expect substantial support from their children (Kin and Rhee, 1999).…”

“…It offers social interactions with family members, provides assistance with daily activities and mobility, especially as the elder's health deteriorates. (Choi, 1996;Yoon and Cha, 1999). Supporting the elderly at home is common for adult children or other family members, where three-fifths of the elderly live with married or unmarried children (Chung, 1998).…”

“…As a consequence of industrialization, the younger workforce has migrated into urban areas, resulting in a greater proportion of the older population in rural areas (Choi, 1996;Kim and Rhee, 1999). Problems with health care, financial security, social-psychological conflicts and isolation, and a lack of leisure activities are common to many elderly Koreans (Choi, 1996;Kim et al, 1996;Korean Institute of Gerontology, 1993). In this article, I review the major impact of population aging, concomitant with modernization, on family structure, living arrangements, family values, and the development of social services.The conclusion speculates on provision of elder care for future decades in Korea.…”

A Plan for the Delivery of Nursing Homes in Korea

“…As of 1994 this program covered 21% of all those aged 65 and over. 2 Full-fee-charging nursing home beds were not counted. 3 As indicated sardonically by Johnson and Grant (1985), these facilities are as good as 'human junkyards', 'houses of death' and 'warehouses for the dying' (Olson, 1994: 33).…”