Caregivers of Dementia Patients with No Time to Rest... Must Know About Sending Them on Vacation for '10,000 Won a Day' [The Era of 10 Million Elderly]⑥

'Dementia Family Leave System' Usage Rate Only 0.1%
Must Prevent Dementia Care Tragedies

On the 6th, an incident occurred in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, where two daughters in their 60s and their mother in her 90s, who was suffering from dementia, were found dead. In January this year, in Daegu, a son in his 50s who had been caring for his father in his 80s with dementia for over 10 years killed his father and then took his own life. In September last year, in Suwon, an 80-year-old husband killed his wife in her 70s who was suffering from dementia and then attempted an extreme act. All of these tragedies happened because the families took on the burden of caring for dementia patients and eventually could not handle it.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

When a family member develops dementia, the rest of the family must care for the patient 24 hours a day, making daily life almost impossible.

According to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, 70.2% (multiple responses allowed) of dementia patients aged 65 and older receive care from cohabiting family members. Families caring for dementia patients find it difficult to take even a short break, let alone a vacation. As caregiving continues for a long time, it is common for caregivers to experience emotional disorders such as depression. This reality, where dementia care is borne by individuals and families, is pointed out as a cause of repeated tragedies stemming from dementia.

Professor Park Seung-hee of the Department of Social Welfare at Sungkyunkwan University said, "Dementia care is a form of social security for minimum survival, so it should not be passed on to families but the state should take responsibility."

Dementia caregivers can take a breather and rest by using the 'Dementia Family Leave System,' a service that provides all-day care for dementia patients. Long-term care insurance beneficiaries with dementia can receive services from short-term care institutions or visiting care workers.

The use of short-term care institutions will increase from the current maximum of 9 days per year (based on 24 hours per day) to 10 days (with plans to expand to 12 days by 2026), and the number of full-day visiting care sessions will increase from 18 times per year (based on 12 hours per day) to 20 times (with plans to expand to 24 times by 2026). The out-of-pocket cost is 13,750 KRW per day. However, if used during nighttime hours (10 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day), a nighttime surcharge applies, adding up to 2,750 KRW.

However, most dementia caregivers are unaware of these programs. According to the 'Dementia Family Leave System Activation Plan Survey Report' released by the Gangwon-do Regional Dementia Center in December last year, a survey conducted on institutions participating and not participating in the short-term care pilot project within daytime and nighttime care institutions in the province showed that the 'awareness of the Dementia Family Leave System' among families with dementia patients was only 39.5% and 29.4%, respectively. The 'experience of using the Dementia Family Leave System' was 3.5% and 0.7%, showing almost no utilization. According to a survey by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the usage rate of the Dementia Family Leave System was only 0.13?0.18% from 2018 to 2021. Only one out of 1,000 dementia caregivers used this system. The most common reason for not using the Dementia Family Leave System was "not knowing about the system," at 36.9%. However, 85.3% responded that they intend to use the Dementia Family Leave System in the future, indicating a need for active promotion.

Along with this, there is advice to increase the number of days for leave use. Professor Heo Jun-su of the Department of Social Welfare at Soongsil University said, "The number of days applicable for the Dementia Family Leave System should be adjusted upward so that families caring for dementia patients can rest 4 to 5 days a month, totaling one month per year."