Oh Miseop, a member of the Gwangju Metropolitan City Seo-gu Council, pointed out in a 5-minute free speech at the 1st plenary session of the 314th extraordinary meeting that "Dementia caregiving should not be imposed solely on families but is an issue that the state and society must share responsibility for."
He then proposed, "Seo-gu Office should actively pursue the reestablishment of the public dementia-specialized complex nursing facility, which was discussed and proposed by the Dementia Care Publicness Enhancement T/F Team."
Councilor Oh raised concerns and requested the establishment of future alternatives through 5-minute speeches and administrative audits when the public dementia-specialized complex nursing facility, which had been promoted for the past four years, was suddenly halted at the end of last year.
Furthermore, through discussions with private experts, the 'Dementia Care Publicness Enhancement T/F' was formed, and meetings and advanced site visits were conducted, submitting the opinion to re-pursue the public dementia-specialized complex nursing facility.
According to the 'Study on the Causes and Countermeasures of Elderly Caregiver Crimes,' 53.7% of the victims of caregiver murders from 2006 to 2018 were dementia patients.
Moreover, it is said that elderly patients with senile diseases are more likely to be exposed to the risk of crime.
In a perception survey on caregiving, 82% expressed that economic and social problems caused by caregiving are serious, and many opinions indicated that the entire life of family members is often threatened due to the hardships of caregiving.
As such, caregiving is becoming a social issue rather than a simple individual problem.
Councilor Oh stated, "Let's explore various measures such as prioritizing care for those who are difficult to care for in general facilities or expanding the scope of care to short-term protection facilities," and added, "Let us strive to realize warm welfare and welfare that takes responsibility for my life through the Seo-gu type dementia responsibility system."
Shin Dongho, Honam Reporting Headquarters, Asia Economy bless4ya@asiae.co.kr
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
