Elderly Receive Treatment During Day, Return Home -- Contrasting South Korea's Care-Only Day Centers
South Korea entered a 'super-aged society' last year, where those aged 65 and older account for more than 20% of the population. According to the Health Insurance Research Institute, it is projected that 116,734 care workers will be in short supply by 2028. The government plans to establish specialized training programs to cultivate foreign care workers and designate outstanding local universities as institutions for training foreign care workers. Currently, foreign nationals account for less than 1% of all care workers. This newspaper has previously examined Germany's in-home care system, including its caregiving sites where one in six care workers are foreigners due to lowered employment barriers for foreigners, and day hospitals that support the long-term care insurance's 'in-home care priority principle'.
On the afternoon of the 22nd of last month, local time, at St. Martinus General Hospital in Düsseldorf, Germany. A 'day hospital, Tagesklinik' for the elderly was in operation in one part of the hospital. Three elderly individuals were waiting for their treatment turn in the waiting room. Inside the day hospital, there was also a rest area where elderly people receiving physical and occupational therapy could take a break. Albert Lucas, director of the geriatrics department, said, "To prevent elderly individuals with mobility issues from having to move around a large hospital to receive treatment, specialists from rehabilitation medicine, neurology, and other departments move from the wards to this location to provide treatment."
Germany is realizing the long-term care insurance's in-home care priority principle through facilities such as day hospitals. Patients stay at the day hospital from morning until around 5 p.m. to receive treatment and return home in the evening. It is a form that adds medical functions to the day and night care services, referred to in South Korea as 'day care centers for the elderly.' Currently, there are a total of 209 such day hospitals operating in Germany, with a daily usage fee of approximately 200 euros (around 300,000 Korean won). Health insurance support is available.
According to the German Federal Ministry of Health, as of the end of 2023, 84% (4.7 million) of approximately 5.6 million recipients of Germany's long-term care insurance were receiving care benefits at home. Only the remaining 16% were admitted to care facilities.
South Korea also stipulates the in-home care priority principle in the Long-Term Care Insurance for the Elderly Act. The utilization rate of in-home services, such as day and night care, is over 80%, similar to Germany. The intention is to allow the elderly to receive care in their own homes as much as possible.
Day and night care services are one of the in-home benefits provided by long-term care insurance. While some institutions operate at night, most are centered around daytime operations. The structure allows the elderly to receive care such as meals, bathing, and various activities at care institutions only during the day. It reduces the caregiving burden on families but has the limitation of not including medical services.
In contrast, Germany operates day hospitals and day care services separately. Day hospitals are supported by health insurance, while day care services are funded by the long-term care insurance budget, each responsible for medical and caregiving functions. As a hospital-affiliated institution, it is characterized by providing tailored medical services to elderly individuals who require treatment but do not need 24-hour hospitalization.