Turning My Home into a Senior House

A nursing home nestled quietly among the flashy apartment complexes in Seoul. As soon as you enter the main entrance on the first floor, there is a large glass door to the right. It was clearly a place where a door shouldn’t be. The sign read, “Ambulance Only Door. Usually locked,” revealing its purpose. Next to the door used by elderly residents in critical condition, a few flower wreaths delivered for the opening ceremony stood awkwardly. The ambulance-only door was originally part of the building’s outer wall. The nursing home director had a perfectly good wall torn down to install the glass door for a reason. It was about two weeks after the nursing home opened. “We want to take a look around the new nursing home,” said some public officials who came to visit. The director kindly guided them. A rare dementia-specialized room, gardens arranged on each floor, and rooms cleaned spotless without a speck of dust. Grandmothers with dementia were gathered in the activity room making baske

"Malgeunsum Woorinae Clinic," located in Buk-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City, is a somewhat special hospital. Usually, patients visit hospitals, but here, medical staff visit the patients. It is a place that provides home visits for elderly patients who are too weak to walk. Receiving hospital diagnosis and prescriptions at home is very useful for the elderly. They need to stay healthy to live at home, and other care services like housekeeping, meals, and home repairs can be more effective. The problem is that finding doctors who do home visits is like finding a needle in a haystack. Buk-gu, Gwangju, which is conducting an integrated care pilot project, faced the same issue. Two years ago, they contacted 50 primary care clinics in the district, but only three agreed, and Malgeunsum Woorinae Clinic was one of them. Director Kim Woo-jin started home visits that fall. While others hesitated, he decided to take on home visits more actively and added two more dedicated doctors last year. Dire

‘Hosang (好喪)’. This term is used when an elderly person who has enjoyed good fortune and lived a long life passes away. It implies not only that they lived a full lifespan but also that the elder was in a happy state until their final moments. Therefore, in the past, meeting one’s death at home with family was considered a condition of hosang. Min Kijeong (55), who lost her father to stomach cancer late last year, said, "The hospital said there was nothing more they could do, so we brought him home, and he passed away just two days after arriving." She added, "Still, I’m grateful that my father’s last moments were not on a hospital bed." Min’s father was fortunate to have family to care for him all day, but it is rare for someone to end their life at home like this. According to Statistics Korea’s ‘Change in Place of Death,’ as of 2023, 15 out of 100 people die at home, while 75 die in hospitals. Compared to 1999, when 58 died at home and 32 in hospitals, the number of elderly people d

South Korea is an "apartment republic." Many elderly people also live in apartments. According to the "2023 Elderly Survey" released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 5.5 out of 10 elderly people living in cities reside in apartments. Although it is also a super-aged society, the residential environment differs from Japan, where detached houses are more common. Joo Hyung-hwan, Vice Chairman of the Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee, said, "The wish of the elderly is to spend their later years healthily in their own homes," adding, "The apartment-centered culture is a unique characteristic of Korea, and if utilized well, it can be a tremendous advantage." For the elderly to live at home, medical care, caregiving, meals, and home renovations are basically necessary. The committee's plan is to build an "Elderly Residential Life Platform" that can quickly provide these services all at once to elderly people living in apartments. Chairman Joo said, "If this happens, apartments w

Ms. Bang Misook (64), who lives in Hwayang-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, recently placed her mother, whom she had cared for at home for five years, in a nursing home in Gyeonggi Province. "My mother has dementia. They say she often cries and refuses to eat, asking to be sent home even at the nursing home," Ms. Bang said, wiping away tears. "It breaks my heart, but since it's a 40-minute drive, I can only visit occasionally. Our neighborhood Hwayang Elementary School recently closed, and I heard that in Japan, it is common to build nursing homes on closed school sites." When elderly people living at home become so frail that they require diapers 24 hours a day, admission to a facility becomes inevitable. Moreover, if the nursing facility is located far away like a remote island from where they used to live, family visits decrease, and the loneliness of the elderly grows. The idea of building senior facilities by utilizing closed schools within the city?known as the 'Aging in Place' approach

Living room safety mats, bathroom anti-slip sheets, toilet grab bars... One day last November, boxes of interior materials were neatly stacked in front of Yoon Su-geun’s (83) house in Mok-dong, Yangcheon-gu, Seoul. Two workers skillfully laid mats throughout the living room and installed grab bars in various places around the house. Kwon Kyung-hyuk, CEO of Happy Aging, who was in charge of the installation, said, "Even just this much greatly reduces the chances of the elderly falling at home," adding, "Even if they do fall, the mats absorb the impact well, so there is no risk of injury." "Now I don’t have to worry about falling" Yoon’s wife, Bang Hee-yeon (81), said, "I’m especially glad we fixed the bathroom." She had always watched over her husband when he went to the bathroom late at night. "There was nothing for him to hold onto in the bathroom, so I was always worried he might fall forward. Now that there’s a grab bar by the toilet, he can manage on his own. I think I can sleep pe

"How much money will remain after taxes if I downsize my current home and move?" This is the most common question among elderly people trying to prepare for their retirement expenses through downsizing. The key factor is taxes. If the tax burden leaves no remaining difference, downsizing loses its meaning. There are two types of taxes that seniors need to consider: capital gains tax when selling their current home, and acquisition tax when buying a new home. Among these, acquisition tax rates are determined based on the housing price and there are no tax exemptions. The crucial point is the capital gains tax. Kim Hyoseon, Senior Real Estate Specialist at NH Nonghyup, said in an interview with this publication, "When seniors consider downsizing, the price of their current home, the duration of residence, and the number of homes owned are the most important factors," adding, "These three determine the scale of the capital gains tax." -What housing ownership conditions are advantageous w

"After sending all my children off to get married, the house feels empty. This place is 43 pyeong, but there are two unused rooms. We only use the master bedroom and one small room."No Young-geun (66), a grandfather living in an apartment in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, is currently considering moving to a smaller unit. Coincidentally, a 59㎡ (25 pyeong) apartment became available in the building next door. "I asked the real estate agent, and the difference between our current place and that one is about 400 million won. I’m thinking of using the difference as living expenses for retirement after moving. What’s the point of living in this big house with just the two of us? We should travel once more while we’re still healthy." After moving, use the difference as retirement living expenses While a large house is necessary when raising children, it becomes a burden after they leave home. This is not just Mr. No’s issue; it is a common concern among elderly people living in large apartments. "Wouldn

"They say the reconstruction contribution fee to move back into my 25-pyeong apartment is 350 million won." The mood darkened instantly when someone brought up the topic of reconstruction. "If you’re young, you can at least get a loan from the bank. But how can elderly people with no income manage?" "We’ve lived together in this apartment for decades, and now that we have to part ways, it’s so heartbreaking. Where will we go? I don’t know. I really don’t." Namseong Apartment, built in 1983, is about to undergo reconstruction. In October 2023, Hanwha Construction was selected as the contractor. Relocation could start as early as this year. The thought of leaving a beloved place where they have lived for at least 20 years, and in some cases over 40 years, weighs heavily on the elderly residents. Most have lived here for decades. During that time, many husbands have passed away, and grown children have moved out, leaving many grandmothers living alone. "Among the grandmothers living in th

In Mullae-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, where ironworks covered in layers of grease stand in a row, there is an apartment that has stood its ground for over 40 years. The faded letters '南星' (Namseong) on the apartment's exterior wall evoke the passage of time. There are only two buildings with a total of 390 households. Between them, a senior center stands like a long-time resident. At noon, grandmothers and grandfathers within the complex gathered in small groups. It was the time when warmth filled the old senior center. ‘3 days a week’ lunch extended to ‘5 days a week’, budget tight "I eat lunch here five days a week. If I were alone, I’d just eat rice soaked in water, but here I get a proper meal. Thanks to that, I take my medicine regularly. That’s why I can live alone at this age. When we eat together at the senior center, even bitter things taste sweet." While eating, Grandma Bang Mi-ok (81) looked at the corded phone in the corner. Grandma Min Soon-duk (76), the president of th