Addressing the lonely deaths of people in 50s

In May last year, a man with disabilities in his 50s was discovered two months after his death at one of the public rent apartments in Yongin, Gyeonggi. He left behind 2.6 million won ($1,966) for his funeral expenses. A social worker from the city government had regularly paid visits and made calls but was unaware of his death because there was no response from him.

People dying alone numbered 3,378 in 2021 in Korea. The so-called godoksa, or lonely deaths, have increased 8.8 percent on average over the past five years. The pace of the growth, as well as the sheer number of such deaths, require our society’s urgent attention.

Many people have thought that lonely deaths only occur to older people who live alone. But that is not the case anymore. According to a study by Joo-young, a professor of forensic medicine at the Pusan National University Medical School, lonely deaths take place more often with middle-aged men in their 50s than those aged 60s or older. Most of them have been cut off from family ties through divorce or separation. The finding calls for greater attention to social connection and support for those people who are stripped of traditional family relations.

From a medical perspective, prevention and treatment of alcohol-related disorders were important to dealing with lonely deaths. For instance, many death causes were liver ailments from alcohol dependence. Two out of three of those who died alone showed a blood alcohol concentration of more than 0.03 percent, which can suspend a driver’s license when caught driving. The finding suggests that they had died while their judgment and mind had not been working properly. There could be a connection between alcohol problems and isolation in the first place. Since lonely deaths also occur from drug abuse, more systematic and comprehensive drug prescription and management are necessary.

Godoksa is defined as a condition where the body of the dead is found sometime after the person dies from suicide or illness in an isolated environment. Last May, the Ministry of Health and Welfare estimated that about 1.53 million people were in danger of dying alone while announcing a basic plan to prevent such deaths. Many of them live alone without any connections or cut themselves from families and others in self-contempt. To lessen such tragic deaths, neighbors and communities must pay greater care, and the country must establish an effective system to identify the danger signs in advance. Inattention is disrespect to individual lives that can translate to a great loss to society.