"I Hate 'Dying in a Hospital'... I Want to Live in My Own Home Even When Old or Sick [Turning My Home into a Senior House]"

Even When Old or Sick, I Want to Live at Home
9 out of 10 Elderly People Say "I Want to Keep Living at Home"
Home-based Services Needed: Visiting Medical Care, Meals, Cleaning, Home Repairs
Japan’s Community-Based Integrated Care Takes Root
Home Deaths Increasing Since 2016
Elderly Homes Should Become Welfare Spaces, Not Just Living Spaces
Series "Turning My Home into a Senior House" Runs from the 10th to the 18th

▲Grandmother Lee Jeong-sook, who lives in Jincheon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, is receiving home visit medical services from medical staff belonging to the 'Care Station' created by Jincheon-gun and Jincheon Central Jeil Hospital at her home on November 5 last year. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung

Is there any place as comfortable as home, wherever you go? This feeling is even more intense for the elderly. Furniture worn by time, the dishes used for every meal, a neighborhood known down to every alley, family and friends you can see whenever you want. As they approach the final chapter of life, they want to stay in the familiar home.

This attachment is also reflected in statistics. According to the ‘2023 Elderly Survey’ released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare last October, 9 out of 10 elderly people wanted to stay in the home where they had been living while maintaining their health. Even if their health deteriorated, 5 out of 10 still wished to continue living in their own home. This means that even if they are not hungry, they need to eat; even if they cannot sleep, they need to lie down; and they need someone to open the door for them to go out?showing that ‘my home is the best even when sick’ is their sentiment, rather than living in a facility. However, there is a prerequisite. There must be services such as visiting medical care, daily life support like cleaning, meals, laundry, and home repair services. More than 50% of the elderly responded that "such services are necessary."

In the 1990s, it was common for elderly people to age and die at home while being supported by their children. However, since the introduction of the Long-Term Care Insurance system in 2008, the number of nursing hospitals and nursing homes increased, and more elderly people left their homes. Now, the majority of elderly people are forced into a situation of ‘dying in hospitals’ against their wishes.

Regaining the ‘right to close one’s eyes at home’ is not impossible. Just look at Japan, where ‘community-based integrated care’ that provides medical and care services directly to the elderly’s homes has taken root. As of 2022, 17% of deaths in Japan occurred at home. This figure has increased every year since 2016 (13%). The simple but desperate wish to "grow old at home, receive appropriate care, and live surrounded by familiar people" is the central theme of Asia Economy’s series ‘Turning My Home into a Senior House,’ starting on the 10th.

‘Turning My Home into a Senior House’ is a proposal to transform elderly people’s living spaces into welfare spaces. The home of the elderly should not be just a place to stay but a haven that enhances their quality of life. Care services where medical staff visit elderly people with mobility difficulties, daycare centers located within apartment complexes, senior centers where lunch is served five days a week, retirement funds prepared from the difference after moving to a smaller, more convenient home, and environments where falls in the living room can be detected immediately without large expenses?these are ways to make ‘my home a senior house.’

From October to December last year, our newspaper captured the voices of elderly people living at home, care experts, public officials, medical staff, and real estate experts through domestic and international coverage without omission. We examined not only Korea but also the situation in Japan in detail. This series is also a follow-up to the ‘The Era of Senior Houses is Coming’ series reported in May last year. At that time, we pointed out the polarization problem in Korea’s elderly housing market, divided between the ultra-rich and basic livelihood security recipients, and addressed housing measures for middle-class elderly people.

▲Grandmother Lee Kyung-ja is checking the installation status of the 'Care Plug' at her home in Jungdong Halla Complex 1, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do, on December 27 last year. The 'Care Plug' is a power strip that detects electricity usage and illuminance. The sensor inside the plug detects whether the elderly person is using electricity or if the light is on, and if there is no usage, it sends a warning signal to the apartment management office. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung