[Reporter’s Notebook] “What Does Age Have to Do with Family Care?”

12-year-old Jeong-woo, who takes care of his hearing-impaired father, and Woo-jung, who has been caring for her mother with schizophrenia and her elderly grandmother... The young people we met while working on the [Youth Trapped in Caregiving] series were pushed into caregiving, unable to focus on their studies or employment, and struggling to plan for their futures. Although the government currently supports young family caregivers aged 13 to 34 through the Youth Future Center by providing self-care funds and caregiving services, more delicate and extensive support is needed to help these youths become independent.

However, what we learned during the investigation is that caregiving knows no age boundaries. Organizations and researchers related to family caregiving point out that government policies supporting family caregivers are practically focused only on the youth, failing to alleviate the caregiving burdens of middle-aged and elderly caregivers.

The middle-aged group is the so-called "sandwich generation," who must care for their parents while supporting their children. If middle-aged individuals cannot prepare for old age due to the dual responsibilities of caring for parents and children, the problem of elderly poverty is likely to worsen when they themselves become seniors. According to a report released in July by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, one in eight (12.5%) middle-aged people aged 45 to 64 who bear family caregiving burdens have been unable to prepare for their old age.

As aging accelerates, "old-old caregiving," where elderly people care for other elderly people, has also become common. When caregivers must look after a sick spouse or parent during a time when they themselves need care, the caregiver's health tends to deteriorate as well. For seniors who have already retired, the financial burden of caregiving can threaten their livelihood.

Caregiving is thus a quagmire that is difficult for anyone to escape. Countries like Australia and Norway, which have long implemented family caregiving policies, refer to those caring for family members in need of care as "family protectors." They implement comprehensive caregiver support policies regardless of age, while providing additional educational opportunities for adolescents and young adults who need independence support, thereby applying tailored policies.

It has been repeatedly pointed out that existing social welfare systems, such as the long-term care insurance system, are insufficient to alleviate caregiving burdens. Last month, a man in his 40s who had cared for his paralyzed older brother for 16 years and supported the household was sentenced to prison after killing his brother, and in October, a man in his 70s who had cared for his wife with terminal cancer for over a decade was arrested after killing her. What does age have to do with family caregiving? South Korea must also expand the support targets of family caregiver policies to all age groups. If not, our society may repeat shocking tragedies once again.