Living Alone and Dying Lonely... Elderly Solitary Deaths Increase 20% Annually [10 Million Elderly Era]⑫

Annual Average Growth Rate of Solitary Deaths Among 60-69 Age Group at 20.1%
Elderly Solitary Deaths Linked to Elderly Poverty and Family Disintegration
Comprehensive Welfare Needed in Medical, Nursing, and Care Sectors

Deaths from loneliness are increasing every year. Due to family breakdown and the rise of single-person households, elderly people living alone are passing away lonely without anyone to attend their final moments. To prevent deaths from loneliness caused by social isolation among the elderly generation, the government is implementing emergency safety and security services for elderly living alone and disabled individuals, and is taking measures such as making welfare calls to those whose activity is not detected through AI artificial intelligence.

Half of All Deaths from Loneliness Are Aged 60 and Over... Highest Increase Rate Among 'Men Aged 80 and Over'

According to the '2022 Survey on the Prevention of Deaths from Loneliness' by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, deaths from loneliness have increased by an average of 8.8% annually over the past five years. In 2017, a total of 2,412 people died from loneliness, followed by 3,048 in 2018, 2,949 in 2019, 3,279 in 2020, and 3,378 in 2021. In 2021, deaths from loneliness among those aged 60 and over numbered 1,605, accounting for nearly half (47.5%) of the total.

The increase in deaths from loneliness was most prominent among 'men aged 80 and over.' For men, the annual average increase rate of deaths from loneliness was in the single digits from their 20s to 50s but jumped to double digits from their 60s. The annual average increase rates were 20.1% for ages 60-69, 12.5% for ages 70-79, and 23.0% for those aged 80 and above. For women, the highest increase was in the 60-69 age group (11.4%), followed by 8.7% for ages 40-49, 7.8% for 70-79, 6.4% for 50-59, and 2.8% for 80 and above. Among every 10 deaths from loneliness, 1.7 were suicides.

Elderly Deaths from Loneliness: "Isolation Issues Must Be Addressed"

In 2021, 571 deaths from loneliness were suicides, accounting for 16.9% of all deaths from loneliness. By proportion, the age group with the highest rate of death from suicide among deaths from loneliness was people in their 20s (2 cases, 100%), but in terms of the number of suicide deaths, those aged 50-59 were the highest with 169 cases (29.6%), followed by 40-49 (137 cases, 24.0%) and 60-69 (105 cases, 18.4%). To prevent deaths from loneliness, mental and psychological support such as for depression should be combined with measures to prevent physical isolation. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's 'Survey on Households at Risk of Death from Loneliness (2022),' the high-risk group (judged by a risk score of 70-100 points) was most prevalent among people in their 50s at 5.8%, and those with experiences of separation, divorce, or bereavement had a higher rate at 3.5%.

Looking at the isolated daily life status by risk group for deaths from loneliness, more than 6 out of 10 (63.4%, 19.3% in the medium-risk group) in the high-risk group eat only one meal a day, and except for essential outings such as purchasing daily necessities or hospital visits, 4 out of 10 (44.2%, 37.1% in the medium-risk group) did not go out for a week. Nine out of ten (96.8%, 79.7% in the medium-risk group) had no one to care for them when sick.

Professor Heo Junsu of the Department of Social Welfare at Soongsil University said, "Deaths from loneliness among the elderly are connected to various phenomena such as elderly poverty and family breakdown due to nuclear families," adding, "Compared to Europe and other regions, early retirement age and less mature pension systems are causing elderly poverty to become a problem, and with family breakdown, the number of elderly living alone is increasing, leading to more deaths from loneliness among the elderly." Professor Heo pointed out, "The government should conduct comprehensive surveys on elderly at risk of death from loneliness to establish a system for focused management, local governments should expand personnel to check on elderly living alone in the community and strengthen this, and like the 'Dementia Safety Village' system that reports wandering dementia patients, community participation should be encouraged."

Government Implements Visiting Home Medical Services and Emergency Safety Services for Elderly Living Alone

The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to provide comprehensive welfare services in the fields of medical care, nursing, and caregiving. A representative example is the 'home medical service' where medical staff visit patients. The Ministry plans to expand the 'Pilot Project for Long-term Care Home Medical Centers' nationwide to enable receiving medical services at home. Doctors and others visit the homes of long-term care insurance beneficiaries who have difficulty visiting medical institutions due to mobility issues, providing medical services and linking necessary community care resources, which is expected to help prevent deaths from loneliness among the elderly.

The pilot project for Long-term Care Home Medical Centers involves doctors, nurses, and social workers from clinic-level medical institutions visiting to provide medical services, with the second phase currently underway this year. In the first phase last year, 28 home medical centers operated in 28 cities, counties, and districts, but this year, 95 centers operate in 72 regions. The Ministry plans to expand to 250 centers nationwide by 2027. The home medical centers can be used if a doctor determines that a long-term care home beneficiary has mobility difficulties and requires home medical care. While the first phase was limited to beneficiaries of long-term care grades 1 to 4, the second phase expanded to include grade 5 and cognitive support grades, allowing those with dementia who have difficulty visiting hospitals to receive medical services at home. Yeom Minseop, Director of Elderly Policy at the Ministry, said, "Through home medical centers, elderly people will be able to continue living in their communities while fully enjoying medical services," adding, "We will establish a foundation for the nationwide expansion of home medical centers as we promote the pilot project."

Activity Detection... Emergency Management Staff Contact If No Movement

Services focused on elderly living alone are also being strengthened. The Ministry plans to expand the target of the existing 'Emergency Safety and Security Service' and enhance risk detection functions using AI new technologies.

The Emergency Safety and Security Service installs ICT-based equipment in the homes of elderly (living alone, elderly two-person households, and grandparent-grandchild households) and disabled families to quickly connect to 119 in case of emergencies such as fire or falls, supporting ambulance and rescue operations. When a fire is detected by sensors, 119 is immediately notified, and emergency call devices placed in bathrooms or bedrooms can also be used to notify 119 by pressing a button in emergencies. The system can detect activity levels, measuring movement, heart rate, and breathing, and if a person falls or loses consciousness, emergency management staff are notified to check on their well-being.

A Ministry official stated, "There were cases where fires such as burning pots were immediately reported to 119, or emergency management staff found elderly people who had collapsed in bathrooms, enabling rapid response to emergencies." Last year, the service was installed in 238,806 households, with a total of 155,373 emergency responses including 17,954 emergency calls, 6,836 fire incidents, and 130,583 cases of no detected activity. The eligibility criteria were changed this year so that anyone living alone can apply. Even households not eligible for support can use the service at their own expense, and the service will be provided to applicants in the fourth quarter.