[Reporter’s Notebook] Not All Seniors Are the Same: The Difference Between Age 65 and Age 100

"People in their 60s don't go to senior centers. They say they don't even consider themselves elderly..."

While reporting on the '10 Million Elderly Era' series planned ahead of the elderly population aged 65 and over surpassing 10 million next year, I heard many criticisms about the 'range' of the elderly. A representative from the Korea Senior Human Resources Development Institute pointed out, "We need to subdivide the elderly by age groups and create age-appropriate policies."

Elderly people smiling brightly at the community center. Photo by Asia Economy DB

Every time I hear such remarks, I think that the government's elderly welfare projects ultimately focus only on those in their late 70s to 80s and above. According to the 2020 Elderly Survey, the rate of people in their 80s using senior centers exceeds 40%, while those aged 65-69 account for only 10%. No matter how much the government invests in senior center welfare projects, 'younger elderly' who do not go to senior centers are structurally marginalized.

Because all people aged 65 and over are grouped into a single 'elderly' category, there are criticisms that "the policies are crude." For example, those in their 60s to early 70s who attend senior centers and social welfare centers mainly participate in 'hobby and leisure programs,' whereas those in their 80s primarily use them for 'meal services' (Elderly Survey). The government's recent emphasis on 'providing meals five days a week at senior centers' ultimately benefits those in their 80s. On the other hand, about 18,000 senior centers (28%) have no activation programs such as leisure or sports, so elderly people who want hobby and leisure activities at welfare facilities are left in a blind spot of elderly welfare policies.

Japan divides its elderly population into early elderly (65-74 years) and late elderly (75 years and older), and designs employment, medical, and health programs differently. Even among the elderly, the welfare services needed vary by age group. We should consider adopting a similar approach. For example, in elderly employment policies, early elderly can focus on 'maintaining economic power' through reemployment, while late elderly can focus on 'preventing social isolation' through public service activities.

Next year, South Korea's population aged 65 and over will be 10.5 million. The government is creating policies by placing this massive population group, which accounts for one-fifth of the entire population, into a single 'elderly' category. This might have been sufficient in the 1970s when the average life expectancy was just over 60 years, but it must change in a super-aged society where life expectancy has increased to 82.7 years (2022). Centenarian elderly are no longer rare. We expect policies that carefully support the elderly who enter at age 65 and live for 35 more years.