[The Era of 10 Million Elderly]⑭ Killing Time at Senior Centers? Transforming into 'Smart' Senior Life Centers

Daily Services Such as Meals, Leisure, and Exercise Provided Systematically in Spaces
'Five Days a Week Meal Service'... Effective in Reducing Elderly Isolation and Creating Senior Jobs
Need to Develop Various Programs for 'Young Seniors' in Their 60s and 70s Who Use Senior Centers Less

In a society with 10 million elderly people, leisure activities and social participation of the retired generation are important. Among elderly leisure welfare facilities, the 'Gyeongrodang' (senior centers), which have the largest share, should be utilized as spaces supporting such activities, and it has been pointed out that various programs should be prepared to suit the wide age range of the elderly, from 65 to those in their 90s and beyond. The government is supporting the transformation of Gyeongrodang by promoting projects such as 'meal provision five days a week' and the 'Smart Gyeongrodang' initiative. The goal is to upgrade Gyeongrodang from a place simply to 'pass the time' to a space where diverse senior lifestyles such as education, arts, culture, and social activities can be enjoyed.

Yangcheon-gu Smart Senior Center, Sinwon Senior Center. Photo by Yangcheon-gu Office

Gyeongrodang where people in their 60s and 70s are treated as 'youngsters'; need to diversify programs

According to the 'Current Status and Improvement Tasks of the Elderly Welfare Act in Response to a Super-Aged Society' published by the National Assembly Legislative Research Office at the end of last year, although Gyeongrodang is the most numerous among elderly leisure welfare facilities, its utilization rate is low, and it is understood that the current operation method will make it difficult to adequately respond to the future demand for elderly leisure welfare in society.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's '2020 Elderly Survey,' the proportion of elderly people using Gyeongrodang was 28.1%. They visited Gyeongrodang an average of 3.2 times per week, and 45.8% responded that they "intend to continue using Gyeongrodang." However, Gyeongrodang tends to be used mostly by 'older elderly people,' and users in their 60s and 70s were very few. Looking at the utilization rate by age group, the rate was highest at 47.0% among those aged 85 and older, but it noticeably decreased as the age lowered. The utilization rate of those aged '80-84' was 43.6%, less than half, '75-79' was 37.9%, '70-74' was 27.7%, and '65-69' was only 11.2%. The 'younger elderly' tend to avoid Gyeongrodang, which is mainly composed of 'senior elderly.'

The younger elderly also showed a low intention to use Gyeongrodang in the future. In response to the question 'Will you use Gyeongrodang in the future?' 62.5% of those aged 5 years and older said "yes," but by age group, '80-84' was 60.4%, '75-79' was 54.5%, '70-74' was 45.3%, and '65-69' was only 31.2%. Won Si-yeon, a legislative researcher at the National Assembly, analyzed, "These survey results show that it will be difficult to meet the future demand for elderly leisure welfare with the current Gyeongrodang-centered operation method." A representative from the Korea Senior Human Resources Development Institute said, "Nowadays, people in their 60s and 70s are treated as youngsters when they go to Gyeongrodang and end up running errands for those in their 80s and 90s, so they rarely go there." The representative added, "Since the demand for elderly leisure welfare facilities and programs is high even among the 'younger elderly,' policies should be segmented to meet diverse needs and respond accordingly."

Top difficulty in elderly life is 'meal preparation'; solved by 'five meals a week' at Gyeongrodang

The government plans to transform Gyeongrodang into a space that systematically provides various daily life services such as meals, leisure, and exercise. In a super-aged society, detailed projects will be designed based on the premise that individual elderly people have different social and economic situations, educational levels, and health conditions. Among them, a representative project to solve elderly poverty, loneliness, and inactivity is the 'five-day meal provision at Gyeongrodang.' This is positively evaluated not only because elderly people can have their meals at Gyeongrodang but also because it helps solve the problem of elderly isolation through external activities, promotes friendship, and provides elderly job opportunities.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, among the total 68,223 Gyeongrodang nationwide, 42% (28,620 places) provide meals. The average number of days is about 3.6 days per week for lunch. Since the 1st of this month, the Ministry has supported these Gyeongrodang with grain costs, side dish costs, and manpower to gradually expand meal provision up to five days a week. For Gyeongrodang that do not provide meals due to lack of cooking facilities and unregistered Gyeongrodang, research services for facility reinforcement are underway, and ultimately, the plan is to operate meals five days a week. Currently, 56,000 elderly job participants are involved as meal support personnel, and with the expansion of meal provision days, an additional 26,000 support personnel will be deployed. The five-day meal provision at Gyeongrodang also leads to the expansion of elderly jobs. In the second half of this year, a pilot project for local governments will be conducted to place safety managers for 'seven-day Gyeongrodang operation,' and the plan is to expand Gyeongrodang operating on weekends in the future.

Meal provision at Gyeongrodang is also related to solving elderly poverty, loneliness, and inactivity. The government plans to expand the 'Hyo-do Bapsang' (Filial Piety Meal) project, which jointly cooks and supplies side dishes needed at Gyeongrodang meals and local meal centers. Yeom Min-seop, Director of Elderly Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "The 2020 Elderly Survey confirmed that the most difficult daily life task for the elderly is 'meal preparation.' We will expand meal provision and support daily life through elderly welfare facilities and Gyeongrodang, which have excellent accessibility and can be easily used by the elderly."

'Gyeongrodang Activation Programs' and Expansion of 'Smart Gyeongrodang'

The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to provide various programs to solve the problem that Gyeongrodang and senior welfare centers function only as simple meeting places. Currently, 28.1% of Gyeongrodang nationwide do not offer activation programs such as leisure, sports, or games. Besides Gyeongrodang, 34 cities and counties nationwide do not have senior welfare centers installed. The Ministry plans to develop and distribute 'Gyeongrodang activation programs' by region and focus on revitalizing the elderly welfare functions of Gyeongrodang by expanding 'Smart Gyeongrodang.'

Yangcheon-gu Smart Senior Center, Sinwon Senior Center. Photo by Yangcheon-gu Office

The Ministry first plans to enable health exercise and health management through Gyeongrodang. Last year, through the project supporting the placement of senior sports instructors, about 1,200 instructors were assigned to senior welfare centers and Gyeongrodang, conducting programs with a total of 170,000 visits, and this year the project will be expanded. A pilot project for elderly jobs placing exercise group operators at Gyeongrodang will also be newly promoted to support Gyeongrodang activation. Support for various cultural and hobby activities such as music, sports, and education will also be strengthened. In addition, the number of 'Smart Gyeongrodang' providing video conferencing systems and administrative and welfare information kiosk services will be increased from 889 locations last year to 1,391 locations this year. A Ministry of Health and Welfare official said, "We will also conduct a survey on unregistered Gyeongrodang to prevent welfare blind spots and devise support measures."