Gov’t plans elderly care, housing

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Gov’t plans elderly care, housing

On Tuesday, the government announced a blueprint centered on providing better treatment and caregiving to seniors in their homes as Korea’s population ages rapidly.

Under the Community Care policy spearheaded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the government will establish a working system by 2025 so that seniors will be cared for without having to leave their homes.

“Seoul will come up with a system in which older people can spend their later years within their communities through such policies as housing support and visits by doctors and home care visits,” Health and Welfare Minister Park Minister Neung-hoo told reporters in Seoul.

The plan comes as Asia’s fourth-largest economy is projected to become a superaged society in 2026, with 20 percent of the population expected to be over 65. The country became an aged society in 2017, with more than 14 percent of its 50 million population aged 65 or older.

According to a ministry survey last year, 57.7 percent of the people viewed as seniors said they would like to spend the remainder of their lives at the place where they were living. Reflecting such wishes, the government will push ahead with policies centered on older people so they can find affordable housing. It calls for offering around 40,000 public rental houses by 2022.

The houses will be located close to public health care and caregiving centers, officials said. The ministry said 5,000 of them will be called “public silver houses,” which will first be offered to low-income older people living alone. The houses will be equipped with various safety features like automatic gas cutoffs and movement sensors, officials said.

The government said it will also increase the number of older people receiving home visits from doctors and nurses from 1.25 million this year to 3.93 million by 2025.In order to meet the requirements, the government will build community health care centers at every local government building across the country, officials said.

Yonhap
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