'Neighborhoods Caring for the Elderly in Japan' Inspire, but... It's Useless if Home Is Insecure [Senior House]

On the 3rd of last month, residents at Spring County Xi, a senior welfare housing in Yongin City, are playing board games. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

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In Japan, neighborhoods take care of the elderly. Centered around senior housing and private homes where the elderly live, three pillars?medical care (hospital and pharmacy services), nursing care (assistance with bathing, rehabilitation training, etc.), and daily living support (checking on well-being)?work together. Doctors, nurses, care workers, and social workers ride bicycles through alleyways, frequently visiting places where elderly people live. Within the daily living area where necessary services are provided within 30 minutes, seniors receive care.

This is the operational method of the "Community-based Integrated Care" system that Japan created in response to the rapid increase in the elderly population. Yaejeong Yoo, Director of the Integrated Care Research Center at the National Health Insurance Service, explained, "Around 2010, the number of late elderly people aged 75 and over rapidly increased in Japan, raising warnings that social security finances would be depleted. The purpose of this system is to delay as much as possible the time when elderly people need to go to nursing homes or long-term care hospitals and to help them live independently in their communities."

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The Ministry of Health and Welfare in Korea is also preparing to provide "Integrated Support Services" for the elderly starting in 2026. A related bill passed the National Assembly in February this year. Through local governments, elderly people can receive medical and care services where they have lived. This aspect is similar to Japan’s Community-based Integrated Care. However, the current status of senior housing, which should serve as the "center" of this service, is far behind that of Japan to the point that comparison is impossible. If the living environment of the elderly is unstable, proper care services are difficult to provide.

Professor Jeonggeun Kim of the Silver Industry Department at Kangnam University pointed out, "Korea is entering a super-aged society at an unprecedentedly rapid pace globally. Yet, the supply of senior welfare housing is low, and what exists is mostly for high-income groups." He added, "To ensure that middle-class elderly people can live comfortably when they become late elderly, a stable residential environment must be established so that welfare services can be smoothly provided."

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