"Not Sick, But No One to Cook"…Knocked on Nursing Home Door [Senior House]

Issues of Meal Provision for Middle-Class Elderly
3 Million Won Monthly Elderly Welfare Housing is Burdensome
Relatively Affordable Nursing Hospitals Chosen

Neglected Apartment Community Centers
Proposed Conversion into Restaurants for Meal Solutions

On the 24th, residents are moving food bowls on trays at a restaurant in Yongin Spring County Xi, Gyeonggi. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Grandmother Kwon Gi-ok (83), who lives in Guro-gu, Seoul, will be admitted to a nursing hospital in Bucheon, Gyeonggi Province next month. In fact, Grandmother Kwon is not in a condition that requires nursing hospital care. After suffering from arthritis, she only limps slightly when walking, with no major difficulties. She manages her high blood pressure and diabetes with medication. Nevertheless, she is leaving the apartment where she has lived for over 20 years because she needs someone to cook for her. Many days, the dining table where she sits alone has only one or two side dishes.

She said, "Food is the biggest problem. I even looked into hiring a Joseonjok caregiver for meals, but the salary was 2 million won," adding, "If that's the case, I thought it would be better to enter a nursing hospital that costs 1 million won a month." "These days, if there were restaurants that served meals like in newly built apartments, I wouldn't want to leave here..." Grandmother Kwon's expression darkened.

These days, middle-class elderly people voluntarily seek nursing hospitals to solve meal problems, just like Grandmother Kwon. The rent for senior welfare housing is over 3 million won per month, which is too expensive, so they choose nursing hospitals with cheaper prices. Most of them end up staying in nursing hospitals until they pass away once they enter.

Moon Seong-taek (56), a former oriental medicine doctor and a YouTuber specializing in senior housing, said, "When I ask elderly patients at the clinic, most answers are like 'I ate rice with water and kimchi,' or 'I had no appetite, so I just dipped green chili peppers in soybean paste,'" adding, "This causes illnesses that didn't exist before and accelerates dementia." He emphasized, "A balanced diet is essential for most elderly people to have a healthy old age," and "This is why there needs to be more senior welfare housing with monthly rents between 1.5 to 2 million won for middle-class seniors."

There is also a suggestion to convert neglected community centers in apartments into dining halls to solve the meal problems of elderly people living in cities. Yoo Ae-jung, head of the Integrated Care Research Center at the Health Insurance Research Institute, said, "Many newly built apartments nowadays provide meals, and the idea is to make such services common even in older apartments," adding, "It would require the consent of residents, but it is an important issue to address in a super-aged society."