Long‐Term Care Policy for Functionally Dependent Older People in the Republic of Korea

In the Republic of Korea, the construction of a long‐term care system for frail older persons has become an issue of great concern in the twenty‐first century, as the population is ageing rapidly. Functionally dependent older people aged 65 and over (excluding those who have difficulty performing so‐called instrumental activities of daily living) are estimated to make up 15 per cent of the total population, but only about 1 per cent of older people can afford to use formal services. In response to the increasing burden of supporting frail older persons, a long‐term care model is being prepared with the establishment in March 2003 of the Planning Committee for Developing a Public Long‐Term Care Security System for the Elderly. This paper analyses the sociodemographic background to the introduction of a long‐term care system, as well as the content and problems of the current system, and suggests the fundamental policy areas to be improved on the basis of these results. Policy issues are as follows: expansion of infrastructures for providing long‐term care services, transforming small and medium‐sized acute hospitals into long‐term care hospitals, continuum of health and long‐term care services, construction of a system to support informal caregivers, and development of a funding system for long‐term care service costs.