KWDI Korean Women’s Development Institute

In-Hee Choi

Young-Ran Kim

A-Reum Lee

 

 

Due to compressed aging and significant changes in both living arrangements and family values, elderly care has emerged as a crucial social and political issue in South Korea. In addition, caregiver demographics are diverse in terms of age, family relationship with the frail elderly, and labor force participation. In addition, the number of cases of elder abuse and murder by family caregivers is steadily increasing due to the caregiving burden. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the family support systems currently in place for families, who comprise the major caregivers for the frail elderly in Korea, in terms of how effectively they support family caregivers.

In this study, we analyzed the caregiving burden among female spousal caregivers (N=300), providers of a significant proportion of elderly caregiving, with respect to age, household composition, and health status. We then examined public policies and non-governmental programs supporting family caregivers in Korea, Germany, Japan, and the United States. The findings from this study are as follows: First of all, spousal caregivers experience a substantial caregiving burden, but have limited access to both public (e.g., national long-term care insurance) and non-governmental support systems (e.g., educational programs for caregivers). Secondly, although various support systems have been established for frail older adults, the service needs of caregiving families have not yet been explicitly recognized in Korea. In contrast, other countries that faced similar issues earlier than has Korea, such as Germany and the United States, have enacted laws and rulings that have increased support services for caregiving families, and non-governmental organizations in these countries provide evidence-based caregiver training programs. Such services include, but are not limited to, provision of information about available services, assistance to caregivers in gaining access to services, individual counseling, support groups, and caregiver training.

As the South Korean population is rapidly aging and the number of elderly members of society with impairments is expected to grow significantly, family caregivers are at an increasing risk of degraded mental and physical health. Efforts should be made to develop more comprehensive caregiver service networks and provide adequate support programs. Policy recommendations are as follows: First of all, public policy should acknowledge the service needs of caregiving families and implement family caregiver support programs designed to alleviate their caregiving burden. Secondly, evidence-based caregiver training programs tailored to meet the varied needs of family caregivers in terms of resources, care intensity, phases of caregiving work, and labor force participation should be developed. Lastly, collaboration and coordination among formal and informal networks, public and private entities, and local and state systems should be promoted as a means to establish a comprehensive caregiver service network.