保険方式によるサービス提供が及ぼす高齢者夫婦への影響 : 日韓夫婦家庭の介護実態に着目して

Abstract

Japan and South Korea have chosen to address the issue of elderly care through a social insurance approach;nevertheless, the provision of services through insurance has led to divergent outcomes. Despite decreasing family sizes, the phenomenon of simultaneous decline among elderly couples due to long-term care, as observed in Japan, is not as prevalent in South Korea. Acknowledging these realities, this paper illuminates the structural disparities within the long-term care insurance systems of Japan and South Korea, examining the practical aspects of elderly couple care through the lens of supporting their shared life. By considering the elderly in need of care as individuals, the insurance systems in Korea and Japan present a contradiction between the individual support emphasized by the system and the collective support required by elderly couples. In Japan, the ultimate responsibility for caregiving falls upon the elderly spouse, acknowledging these inherent contradictions. On the other hand, in Korea, where a third-party mechanism for coordination and collaboration between users and service providers has not been institutionalized, and with the allowance of individual providers, the shared life of elderly couples is to some extent inclusively supported by the altruistic actions of service providers.