Korea entered a super-aged society last year, but senior housing facilities are far short compared with the growing elderly population. Senior housing and welfare facilities have increased more than fivefold over the 16 years from 2008 to last year, but it was found that only about 3% of older people meet the eligibility requirements for admission.
According to Uhm Tae-young's office of the People Power Party on the 2nd, at the full meeting of the Land Infrastructure and Transport Committee on the 10th, Uhm submitted a written inquiry to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) to place a budget item related to domestic senior housing and welfare facilities.
According to the inquiry, senior housing and welfare facilities, which are specialized care facilities for older adults, increased from about 1,300 in 2008 to about 6,600 last year, rising more than fivefold over 16 years.
Facility-based benefit institutions such as nursing homes and group homes for long-term care increased about ninefold; home-visit care agencies that provide in-home care services about fourfold; and day and night care centers that handle short-term care about sevenfold, with supply rising across all types.
However, the current capacity available for admission to senior housing and welfare facilities is about 270,000, only 2.7% of the total elderly population (about 10 million).
According to the nationwide care facility gap index published by the private corporations senior care startup CareDoc, the region with the highest gap risk for facility institutions such as nursing homes was Busan (91%). In densely populated areas such as Busan and Seoul (89%), supply lags demand for facility institutions, so the relative gap risk was found to be higher. Care gaps in the southern regions, including North Jeolla (84%) and South Gyeongsang (85%), are also deepening.
The care facility gap index is an indicator that identifies the distribution and gap levels of specialized facilities (senior housing) that provide care and housing for older adults, such as long-term care facilities, elder care homes, and senior welfare housing.
CareDoc uses 2008, when the long-term care insurance system was first implemented domestically, as the base year (100), and indexes the annual share of the relevant population to assess the degree of potential gap risk. It regards the portion of the total elderly population excluding the sum of facility capacities as the potential long-term care gap population.
Uhm Tae-young noted that many older adults remain on waiting lists or have no choice but to opt for home care. Uhm argued that the government should prepare mid- to long-term measures and funding to expand supply of care-linked housing, including senior housing and welfare facilities.
Uhm said, "We have entered a super-aged society, yet senior housing is poor and gaps in care continue to occur," adding, "As with the Seoul municipal public-private partnership project, senior housing policy will also receive active support so that the public and private sectors can cooperate and the market can be revitalized." Uhm emphasized, "Regardless of region, we will also review actively easing floor area ratio limits for senior housing and welfare facilities."