A nursing home sits quietly nestled among the flashy apartment complexes of Seoul. As soon as you enter the main entrance on the first floor, there is another large glass door to the right. It is an odd place for a door, no matter how you look at it. The sign, "Ambulance Only. Usually Locked," reveals its purpose. Next to the door, which serves as the passage for elderly residents in critical condition, a few congratulatory flower arrangements from the opening ceremony stand awkwardly.

The spot with the ambulance-only door was originally part of the building’s exterior wall. The director of the nursing home had a sound wall demolished and installed the glass door for a reason. It was about two weeks after the nursing home opened. Some public officials visited, saying they wanted to take a look at the new facility. The director kindly gave them a tour. There was a rare dementia ward, gardens arranged on each floor, and rooms cleaned spotless. Grandmothers with dementia were gathered in the activity room making baskets. Some grandfathers were lying in bed, just watching TV. It was a quiet but peaceful afternoon.

As the public officials were about to leave after their tour, someone muttered almost to themselves, "Here, even if the elderly pass away in the morning, you’ll have to take them out at night." To the director, these words cut deep. "It felt like pressure to make sure critically ill or deceased residents would not be seen by the neighbors. After much thought, I decided to create a door in a spot completely hidden from the main street."

Ambulances and emergency vehicles frequently come and go at the nursing home. Each time, elderly residents are moved on stretchers or in wheelchairs. Eventually, the director broke through the wall to create a secret passage for the elderly to move discreetly. "If the neighborhood starts filing complaints, it becomes even harder for our residents to go outside. It was a desperate measure..." The director trailed off. The way the surrounding community views the nursing home is disheartening.

Nine out of ten residents here are dementia patients. Caring for them is already a challenge, but on top of that, the staff have to worry about things like "When should we put out the trash bags containing diapers?" and "What time should the lights be turned off at night?"?all because of the neighbors' watchful eyes.

"There are residents who file relentless complaints demanding we turn off the nursing home lights even though it’s only 8 p.m. The elderly need to use the restroom, and caregivers have to move around, so we need the lights on?what are we supposed to do? Even taking out the trash bags is stressful. Worried about complaints over the smell, we keep them tightly sealed inside the building and only put them out right before the garbage truck arrives after sunset."

According to Statistics Korea’s future population projections, the proportion of people aged 65 and over in Korea will exceed 20% this year, reach 30% in 2036, and a staggering 40% by 2050. Issues related to the elderly are about my parents, my family, and my own future. For everyone to enjoy a peaceful old age, our neighborhoods must be able to embrace spaces where the elderly can age, fall ill, and say goodbye in peace.

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