The Long-term Care Management for the Elderly in Korea

Korea is now experiencing the most rapid aging process among the aging and aged societies, due to the fast expansion of the elderly population and an increase in the post -aged pound over 75 years. In every aging society, the long -term pound care management for the elderly is a matter of urgent measures as their ability of activities of daily living diminishes with time as a result of aging process itself and also of accompanied chronic diseases such as cerebrovascular, musculoskeletal and geriatric syndromes including dementia. The Korean government is now taking steps to initiate a demonstration project in 2005 despite the absolute lack of residential facilities and home -care pound services at present. By the year 2007, long -term pound care insurance will be started in a stepwise manner as long -term pound care coverage through the financial support from health insurance; however, in 2010, the long -term pound care insurance will be fully operated as an independent system from health insurance. To follow the social security model of other developed countries, along with insuring long -term pound care facilities and available manpower, the first issue to raise will be the financial aspect of this long -term pound care insurance, which has the structure of social insurance by nature. Geriatric medicine has its emphasis not only on the high -quality pound acute and recovery phase medical treatment of geriatric diseases but also on the coordination of individual long -term pound care management if a disability in the activity of daily living follows. Most of all, a nation -wide pound health promotion and disease prevention program should be organized to promote healthy longevity of the elderly by preventing their declining activity of daily living.